


New Recruit

by WishfullyThinking



Category: Team Fortress 2
Genre: F/M, Gen, Multi, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-04
Updated: 2021-02-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:35:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 52,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25062475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishfullyThinking/pseuds/WishfullyThinking
Summary: Kidnapped in the middle of the night, Tracy wakes up to a problem of her own creation. Indebted to a very powerful man, she has to repay her debt or it's her life on the line. Can she survive while also hiding her true gender from her teammates? 10th Class. Canonical violence and ridiculousness.
Relationships: BLU Medic/Original Character(s), BLU Soldier/Original Character(s), RED Engineer/Original Character(s)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 19





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya Folks! Been a long time since any of ya heard from me! For some reason I got the uncontrollable urge to re-write my old story, "The Newest Recruit", mostly due to me finding a few plot holes and just dumb shit that I thought made sense at the time. I also stopped writing the sequel because I was waiting to see where the comics went and go from there alongside it. But ya know what? Fuck it.
> 
> I also decided this would be in the time period of the game/comics, so 1971.
> 
> Lemme know what you guys think. Also, this was not beta read.
> 
> I'm gonna try and keep it similar to the old story, but the original introduction was fucking trash and the most confusing thing ever. Why would the mercs be driven in the same bus? That doesn't make sense.
> 
> Anyways, here's the first chapter. Hope ya enjoy!

The first thing she noticed was darkness.

Her first thoughts were clouded and muddled, lost in a sea of heaviness as she fought and lost to the lure of sleep. The air was warm and thick, almost soupy as she struggled to get a clean breath of air.

Slowly, ever so slowly, she began to regain consciousness. Her body was rocking back and forth on a rough surface, the movement alone enough to make her sick. There was some sort of bump, as she was lifted from the ground for a brief moment before kissing the floor once more. She groaned, struggling to lift herself. Pain sharply lanced up her hands and arms, leaving her even more breathless than before.

Sweat traveled down her brow as she finally got to her knees, opening her eyes to the very dim light coming through the slats in the window. It had to be mid-day or later, as the sun was a warm yellow color, the light pouring through orange.

The van was mostly empty aside from the dirt and dust covering the floor, and the bare steel seats on either side of her. The doors were locked, as to be expected. Turning, she could just barely make out the form of a woman in the driver's seat, a cage keeping them separate.

She swallowed hard, her mouth dry. Pain roared through her head, her ears ringing.

What had happened? Was she being kidnapped?

The last thing she had remembered was walking away from work. It had been at least twelve pm at the time. She winced, remembering that she had been suspended due to theft.

Again. Her mother wouldn't be happy.

But at the moment, she and her mother had bigger things to worry about than her job. Her very life could be at stake.

Moving forward slowly, she grabbed onto the cage separating them and lifted herself to eye level. Grunting, she could see the woman in the mirror.

For a moment, she was startled. She had expected a man or some creepy old hag. This woman was... well... gorgeous in all honesty. A little nerdy perhaps, but definitely an eye-catcher. Black glasses, a violet dress, and her raven hair pinned and curled just so. She was so taken aback that for a second all she did was stare.

"So, you're awake?"

She jumped, and immediately regretted it. Her knees immediately slammed against the floor of the moving vehicle, causing her to curse loudly.

"I'll take that as a yes." The amusement in her voice wasn't lost to her captive.

Growling, she regained her footing and looked once more upon her abductor. "Yes, I am. And I have to wonder, how in the ever blue loving hell did I end up in the back of your vehicle, miss?"

The lady in violet granted her a laugh. It was obvious she wasn't taking her seriously, and this only served to anger her prisoner more.

"Yeah, don't get your panties in a twist." She shrugged, as if she had done this many times before. To her hostage, this did not bode well.

"My name is Pauling." She began, turning for just a moment enough to allow the sight of her jade eyes. "I can't exactly tell you at the moment why you're here, mostly because I don't want to unveil the surprise until we get there, but I will tell you that you're not going to be killed."

Her hostage couldn't help but feel like there was a "but" coming, however it never came. Regardless, the feeling never went away and she was left with a million questions.

She began to rack her mind for what she could have possibly done to get herself in such a mess. Could it have been her job? Unlikely. All she had stolen was a damn candy bar. At the most she would have to pay the store back maybe fifty bucks. It had to have been something much, much worse.

But she had done so much shit that would be considered "worse", that she had a hard time picking out one single instance that would cause such a reaction.

Sighing, she turned back to Pauling. "Can I at least ask how you got me here?"

"In the van? Oh yeah. I caught you before you got home and injected you with ketamine." Her tone of voice was still relaxed as she casually explained how she had kidnapped her. "To be honest, I'm not certain how much I dosed you with."

Her charge began to hyperventilate at that news. Pauling began again, a slight lilt of regret in her voice. "Hey, it was just a joke. I'm a professional."

"A professional kidnapper?" She gasped, settling down on one of the seats.

"Well... not exactly. Although I have done this before." She shrugged, switching on her turn signal as she went around a bend. "Not often, mind you. It just comes with my line of work."

"And what exactly is that?"

Pauling paused for a moment to consider her next words. "... A little bit of this, a little of that. It's hard to explain. I promise you though, once we get to our destination, all your questions will be answered."

Her hostage sighed, but leaned back and resigned herself to her fate.

She awoke which felt like a second, but must have been at least a few hours. The sun was completely gone now, no light to be seen in exception for the small fluorescent letters of the radio telling the time. Nine o'clock at night.

Just as she was about to stretch, she heard the sound of whispering. She barely shifted, trying to make out what Pauling was saying without making a sound. From what she could just barely see, Pauling was holding AMPS phone to her ear.

"I'm on my way with Richardson. She's been compliant so far, doesn't have a clue to why she's here." Pauling paused to hear the response from the person on the other end. From what she could hear, it had to be an older woman, but she couldn't make out any distinct words.

"We should be arriving within an hour. Where should I set her up at?" She paused, "Are you sure? I'm not questioning your judgement, I just figured putting her in one right away would be the simplest. No, of course Helen. I'll do exactly that. I'll let you know when we arrive."

Pauling hung up and set the clunky equipment to the side, and without even turning addressed her. "So, as you've heard, we'll be arriving soon."

"Yeah," She didn't even bother trying to hide it at this point. "So you guys know my name?"

Pauling snorted as they turned onto what must have been a gravel road, as the bumps became more often. "Tracy Richardson, twenty-one, just recently off parole and already back at it again with the theft. Yes, we know your name. We've been watching you for a couple months now."

A couple months? Tracy shivered at the thought.

They went over a bump, and from the small view she could see, they were approaching some sort of building. Shuffling from the seat closer to the doors, she could peer out and see a blue insignia painted onto the side. Builder's League United? She had heard of it. They were contracted to build a lot of homes in her area. But what in the hell did they...

Wait. Shit. Now she remembered.

Three or four months ago, she had been walking home from work at the dead of night, and had been passing by a warehouse. The BLU sign on the front flashed clearly in her mind. Wooden crates, heavy from the looks of it, were being rolled into the building occasionally by men in blue uniforms. She couldn't help it, she had to go in and look around.

And she did. There was a startling lack of security, probably had their guard down due to the shipments and didn't expect anyone to trespass on the property when there was so many people around.

Tracy rummaged around in open crates, surprised to find weaponry. She didn't really know or care why a building company would need weapons, and didn't question it. Eventually she found other interesting things, like money and hats. She took all that she could carry and ran out, slipping past the men in blue with ease.

She cursed, now realizing her past had come to bite her in the ass.

The van rumbled as they finally made their stop.

"Welp, here we are." Pauling spoke, cutting the silence. She took the keys out of the ignition and got out. For a moment, Tracy was blessed with silence just to think. She had to handle this carefully. If they had guns, they could kill her.

The van's back doors were unlocked and open, and for the first time Tracy was able to see Pauling entirely. She was young, probably the same age as herself. Probably a couple inches shorter than Tracy was, and much thinner. Before she could even take a step, Pauling had a pistol in her left hand. She didn't aim it, but the promise was clear. One wrong move, and she was dead.

Sighing, and wondering to god what she did in her past life to deserve this, she slowly stepped out of the van. It seemed they were in a desert, with tufts of tall grass sprouting up here and there. The building was surrounded by dirt and gravel however, making their footsteps loud. The moon was out, and soft breeze blew her short dark blonde hair to the side. Adjacent to the blue building was a red one, although Tracy didn't know anything about RED.

"This is Teufort. Well, 2fort to be exact." Pauling corrected herself as they walked towards the BLU building. The area was in rough shape, the walls littered with bullet holes and scorch marks. "This is where you'll be staying for awhile."

"Awhile?" Tracy repeated, questioningly. They walked down a flight of concrete steps, their descent the only noise. They walked past a desk with a briefcase and continued down, moving beyond a room full of computer equipment. Below, Tracy found herself in what appeared to be a living room accompanied by a junky looking TV set.

They kept moving, hallway after hallway. Eventually she just lost track and gave up on trying to keep her sense of direction.

"Ah, here we go." Pauling said with clear relief. It seemed she was just as excited as Tracy was. Pauling stepped forward, pistol still aimed at her charge as she opened the door. The room was bare in the exception of a table and two chairs on either side. The woman in violet ushered her forward with a gestured of her pistol wielding hand, and Tracy stepped inside and took a seat.

Her captor closed the door behind them and locked it with a swift motion and proceeded to quickly sit down. Tucking away the pistol, she took files from a drawer in the table and layed them out. She didn't speak, allowing Tracy to sweat as she stared blankly at the parchment she couldn't read.

"Well. You stole approximately two thousand dollars in cash and in... hats." Pauling didn't laugh, her face suddenly devoid of emotion. Tracy squirmed in her seat.

Pauling sighed, rubbing her temple and once again looked at the woman across from her. "Let's get down to the nitty gritty. You're indebted to Blutarch Mann, owner and founder of Builder's League United. So, instead of taking legal action which would be more drawn out than what it's worth to him, he decided to take you on as a mercenary."

"A... what now?"

"A mercenary. A hired gun." The raven haired woman replied smoothly. "Essentially, you'll be trained and then set off to go kill people."

"Okay, hold on a minute." Tracy raised her hands, an expression of exasperation on her face. "I'm just a petty thief. I have literally no idea how to kill anyone, nevermind wanting to."

"Please, I'm well aware of your exploits. You've stolen quite a lot from many places, and only occasionally got caught out of stupidity or due to an accomplice." She rolled her eyes, "And it's either this or jail time for you."

This brought silence upon the room as Tracy weighed her options. She didn't want to go to jail, staying the night at the police station was bad enough. She began to tap her foot, nerves getting to her. The fluorescent light flickered ominously overhead.

"So, this is how it's gonna work." Pauling cleared her throat, shuffling the papers and putting them into a neat pile on the table. "You're going to be in a team of nine men. They'll get you up to speed on what you need to know. You'll have your own bunk room, with a lock, and a small shower area."

Tracy let out a small breath of relief. At least she'd have her privacy.

"As for what you need to know in terms of who you're fighting, that would be RED. Blutarch Mann's brother. They share the land, and they're really aren't happy about it. So if you manage to somehow survive the RED mercenaries, you'll have to kill Redmond." Pauling said this as if she had repeated this same speech multiple times. "He's an old man now, completely unable to defend himself. I doubt you'd ever get to him, but you never know."

"Fighting wise, you should have no problem. Your team will back you up for most missions, although you may be sent on lone missions occasionally. And in terms of death... I wouldn't worry about it. We have a machine that can bring you back right from the brink. Which is why this war has been going on for... one hundred and twenty-one years or so."

"Hold the fuck up. One hundred and twenty-one years? How long have these guys been alive for?" Bewilderment plastered on her face, Tracy was getting increasingly worried that she was just stuck in some sort of hellish dream.

"Ever heard of Australium? Both Blutarch and Redmond have machines that feed off of it and keep them alive." Pauling answered coolly. "Which is why the war has remained so long. The cast of mercenaries has changed throughout the years, but they remained."

"Okay... this doesn't sound too awful once you put it in perspective." She mulled in over a moment. "But I'll still feel pain, and get horrible mutilated."

"Possibly. Although you could always kill yourself before that happened." She adjusted her glass and said this in such a way that she had to have been joking... right?

Tracy winced at the image, but ultimately threw in the towel. "Alright, fine. What's next?"

"Well, you'll have uniform you will need to wear while on the job, but otherwise you don't really have any limits. You can wear accessories if you want, but don't get too attached to them. No fraternizing allowed between teams... or just hide it very well. Don't kill your team mates, don't try to leave the premises without permission or an escort." She rattled this all off, "Ah, that should be about it. Oh yeah, you're indebted for a year."

"A year?!" Tracy pulled back in exasperation, her brow furrowing in disbelief.

"You're lucky it wasn't longer. The Administrator had to pull some string to even allow you as a mercenary." She stood from her chair, the feet scraping against the floor in a cacophony of shrieks. Tracy winced. "For one, Blutarch doesn't like women involved in the war. So you'll have to hide that."

"Seriously?"

"Yes. And secondly, Blutarch just wanted you murdered immediately, but the Administrator assured him that this was a better idea." Pauling gathered the papers and stuffed them into a folder, returning it to it's drawer. "Come on, your teammates are still asleep and you should get to bed as well. Mr. Doe likes to wake the men up early. They aren't aware of your presence yet, but I'll inform them in the morning."

This time Pauling didn't even bother to take out her pistol as she unlocked the door. Tracy stood, resigned to her fate and followed after.

They went down another set of stairs and turned a corner, stopping at a single door. Pauling unlocked it and flicked the lights on.

The room was drab to say the least, with a single light dangling in the middle of the room. It was large enough for the bed, the desk, and a drawer for clothes. To the right was two doors, which Pauling strode over to show her the shower and closet. The shower was just as dim and cramped as the other but supplied with shampoo, body wash, the necessary feminine products, a toothbrush, and tooth paste respectively.

"This is your room. Here's a set of keys, do not lose them. If you lose them, you can ask Dell Conagher for help, if he's avaliable." Pauling dropped the keys into her waiting palm, "Tomorrow I'll introduce you to your teammates."

"Thanks I guess." Tracy sighed, very obviously unenthusiastic.

Pauling paused by the door, considering her words before turning back once more. "I know it's a shit show. And it's really bad right now. But I think you'll grow to like this place. Your team is, for the most part, are good men. And if you gain their respect, they'll have your back."

Tracy was surprised but touched by these words, despite her being the woman who brought her to this place.

"Thanks."

The woman in violet grunted. "Have a good night, Ms. Richardson."

The door closed behind her, and Tracy was left in her cold room.

She began to inspect the room more. The desk was filled with a few notebooks and envelopes, pens and pencils. A pencil sharpener and eraser. Her closet was mostly bare in exception for a hoodie, a winter coat, and a rain jacket. There were multiple pairs of shoes at the bottom, arranged from dress shoes to sneakers to rain boots.

The dresser had underwear and bras, and even a curious black garment that Tracy wasn't quite sure was. There was also what she assumed was her uniform. A dark blue turtleneck with arm bands sewn on, which appeared to be a newsboy cap and a face mask. High waisted cream colored trousers accompanied by a leather belt, and what appeared to be a supply of newsboy caps, eye masks, and gloves.

God, they were really playing up the whole thief thing, weren't they?

Thank god there was more casual clothes on the bottom drawer. Tracy practically ripped off the clothes she had on earlier as she stepped into the bathroom, a purple hoodie with shorts and t-shirt, and exchanged it for a tank top and sweatpants. Looking into the mirror, she was greeted by the sight of her own tired face.

She had short dark blonde hair, nearly cropped to the scalp. She had learned early on that long hair could be tangled or grabbed when sneaking or being confronted. Her hazel eyes, with deep purple bags underneath, stared back coldly at her with extreme prejudice. She pressed a hand to her cheek, scrutinizing the fat. Sighing, she brushed her teeth and returned to the bedroom.

Throwing her old clothes in a corner, she approached her bed and found the blankets to be servicable, not too scratchy or small. The pillow left something to be desired, though. Tracy was suddenly hit all at once with her situation, immediately feeling home sick.

God, her mother was going to be worried sick. Tracy immediately regretted her choices in life, wishing she could have just been a good person and resisted the temptation to take things.

She fell asleep, tears staining her pillow as she slipped off into a better dream.


	2. Chapter 2

Five hours later and Tracy was rudely awoken by the sound of yelling down the hall.

She was face down in her pillow, a damp spot of what she assumed was either drool or tears staining the white cover. She rubbed her face, slightly greasy from the heat of the van and neglecting to shower before she fell into her cot. She stood, smacking her lips, her throat parched.

She decided to get a shower before introducing herself. The water spat out cold before eventually warming up a minute later. She scrubbed herself best she could without a loofah, taking her sweet time as she wondered who had been screaming earlier. Didn't Pauling mention a Mr. Doe the night before? He sounded like a hard-ass.

Oh, she was just going to love this.

Padding out naked, water still dripping down her legs, she took out the more casual clothing from her dresser and pulled it on. Grabbing her hoodie from the floor, she pocketed the keys to her room and very slowly opened her door, peering out like a frightened child.

No one was in sight. She quietly opened and shut the door behind her, locking it quickly and began wandering the halls. It was like a maze, just the same concrete halls sometimes interrupted by the BLU insignia.

Eventually, and thankfully, she made it to the common room she had saw the night before. Before she came into view, she could see a few people sitting at the couch, the old TV flickering as it showed the morning news.

Tracy hesitated. Pauling wasn't here it seemed, and she had no idea how these men would react to her presence. Should she just... walk in and introduce herself?

Before she could even make a move, she heard a peculiar sound behind her and was immediately grabbed, a butterfly knife coming into view as it was directed towards her throat.

"I wouldn't move if I were you." Said a masculine voice with what was clearly a French accent. Tracy froze in a second, tiredly wondering why everyone had to pull a weapon out on her. "Gentlemen, we have a guest."

The person behind her prodded her forward with a hand, careful to keep the blade far enough away from her throat so she could move without being sliced. She stepped carefully, her head and neck bent backward at an awkward angle. They turned the corner, the men looking up from their seats.

A few unholstered their weapons, aiming them at her as the man from behind released his grip. He stepped away, revealing himself to be a man in a mask and suit. He put away the blade, trading it for a cigarette case. He took one, lit it, and pulled out a chair and directed her to take a seat.

Sitting down, her hands were taken behind her back a tied tightly to the chair. Tracy immediately assumed the worse, that she would be slaughtered right then and there. The well dressed man seemed pleased with his work and approached her once again.

"What is he, a spy?" A hefty set man asked. From his speaking, she could tell he was also a non-American. Russian probably. He wore a blue shirt and a bullet proof vest, and had a shaven head. He was a very serious looking fellow, with an unflinching gaze.

"Tch, of course not." The frenchman rolled his eyes, "But I do wonder how they were able to get in."

Before she could say her piece, what she assumed was the man earlier who had been screaming stepped forward. He wore a helmet and a military uniform in blue. She couldn't see his eyes, as the helmet completely covered them. "Who cares? He could be working for RED, and that's enough for me."

"Hey hey! Woah! I thought in America it was 'innocent until proven guilty!'" Tracy began backing up, the chair scraping as the military man strode forward with shotgun in tow.

He paused, mulling over what she said. He stopped short, grunting. "Well, you're either an American or a very well edjucated commie."

He was just stepping back as the larger man began to speak, "So, how are you here tiny man?" He seemed less convinced than the other two, and Tracy suddenly got the feeling he was much smarter than he appeared.

"I was brought here against my will!" She spoke, hoping the truth would convince them. "A woman named Pauling drugged me and brought me here at gun point. She said I owed the man who hired you guys a lot of money, so I have to work for him! As one of you guys!"

The group was taken aback by this, and silently looking among themselves as if having a silent conversation.

"I'll call Miss Pauling, see what she says. Keep an eye on them." The suited man disappeared in what seemed to be smoke.

"Did someone mention Miss Pauling?" A younger voice piped up. What appeared to be a blur flashed into the room and turned into the form of a young man. He wore saggy grey-brown pants, knee socks, sneakers, a blue shirt with a shoulder bag, dog tags, and a hat with an ear piece. He immediately paused upon seeing her, "Um, who the hell is that?"

"An intruder." The heavy-set man replied with a tired tone.

"So why isn't he dead yet?"

"Spy is going to talk to Pauling. Intruder says little woman brought him here."

"Aw come on! Miss Pauling never takes my calls." The young man frowned, turning to Tracy. "So uh... did Miss Pauling mention me to you?"

Tracy cocked a brow, staring at the man with a 'is this really the time' expression on her face. "No, she only mentioned two names I think. Well, maybe. She talked about a Mr. Doe and a Dell Conagher."

"I'm Doe." The man in the helmet perked up at the sound of his name. "And Conagher is the Engineer. He's probably tinkering down in his work shop right now."

"Either he is spy or telling the truth." The Russian considered her thoughtfully.

"Well, I'm gonna go see if Spy hasn't hung up yet." The bostonian sped out, leaving Tracy bewildered. How could someone run that fast?

Tracy sighed and took to studying the room. It wasn't just a living area. From what she could see behind her was a kitchen area with a large table and many chairs scattered about. The walls were painted blue of course, and the floor was a beige color. The living area was a bit rough for wear, with a dark blue almost black rug and grey walls. There wasn't much in the living area besides the couch and TV, although there seemed to be a small table in a corner set up with a chess set.

In a few minutes, but what felt like hours, the frenchman returned.

"He was telling the truth." He stated as he came around Tracy and released her from her bonds. She immediately rubbed her wrists, pouting slightly as she noticed the red marks. "Miss Pauling had meant to introduce us formally, but the Administrator had more pressing issues brought to her attention."

"So, you are a new team member, eh?" The man with the shotgun approached as she stood. She took a step back, but was relieved as he returned the shotgun to a strap on his shoulder. "Nice to have another man in arms." He forcefully grabbed her hand, shaking it hard enough to hurt. However it was a much more welcome greeting that she had originally gotten.

"Since you're going to be with us, we might as well introduce ourselves." The suited man lit a cigarette, blowing smoke away from him. "I am the Spy."

"Heavy Weapons Guy." The large man nodded.

"Spy, why couldn't you just hand me the phone? Damn spook." The young man from before came from around a corner, this time not a blur. "Oh, guess he was tellin' the truth? I'm Scout by the way."

"Soldier." The man in the uniform stated as he snapped into a salute. Very patriotic, this one.

They all paused at just sort of... stared at Tracy until she got the memo.

"Oh! Uh..." She stuttered for a second, "Pauling never really gave me a title or anything... I guess Thief?"

"Thief?" Scout became aprehensive all of a sudden, tucking what appeared to be a gold chain under his shirt. "So that's why you owe Blutarch money?"

"Yea... let's say I stole a lot of stuff..." She shuffled awkwardly in place, not appreciating the attention all directed at her. Tracy had always tried to remain at the side lines, away from all the groups and just tried to stay alone. She did have her own small group of friends of course, but they were long gone now.

"Don't touch my things and we will be fine." The Heavy replied before turning around and lumbering back to the couch. The TV was still on, showing the weather forecast. The Soldier took this as a cue to leave the conversation, and walked into the kitchen to begin rummaging through the fridge.

"Y-Yeah, alright." Tracy muttered in a small voice. She then turned to the Spy, not exactly certain how to continue.

The Spy didn't seemed bothered. He simply gave her directions to a man they called the Medic. Miss Pauling had said that she would need to see him before anything else could be done. Tracy nodded and thanked him, but stopped short before going on her way.

"Er... what if I bump into more people?" She really didn't want another run in with someone who could possibly kill her.

Spy turned, "Scout, could you be a dear and let the others know of our new arrival?" He said this with fake sweetness, the Scout rolling his eyes but complied by running down a hall. "The Medic should have gotten a call from Miss Pauling."

Tracy nodded and thanked him before going down the same hall the Scout had. Tracy followed the Spy's instructions as best she could. She finally made it down a flight of stairs and pushed past two sets of double doors until she entered what had to be the medical wing.

The Medic wasn't present, although she could hear what she assumed was his voice in the other room. She decided just to wait for his arrival rather than interupt him.

Rather than just stand around, she had the uncontrollable urge to explore the room. The area was mostly sterile, although there was a few rags on a metal table that were stained with blood. Beside a gurney was something odd though.

It looked like something out of science fiction, a large ray gun that had to be heavy. It had a large handle and a counter on the side that read "ubercharge."

Turning back to see if the man was coming, she was only greeted by his voice still chatting away. Relieved, she turned back and against her better judgement, pulled back the lever.

She was immediately hit in the face with a blue ray of light, almost blinding her. Despite this, she didn't let go of the lever and she felt a overwhelming pleasure fill her body. She inhaled deeply, all her muscles relaxing at once.

She drifted closer to the gun, almost pressing her face against it. It was intoxicating, all thoughts floating away as she closed her eyes.

"Achtung!"

Startled, she let go of the lever and peeled back, knocking against the gurney and nearly falling on her ass in surprise. The feeling of elation fading away as she struggled to regain her balance.

Turning, she finally saw who it was that interrupted her. It was a taller, older man with black hair wearing what had to be a lab coat. He seemed almost amused, adjusting his glasses as he approached her with measured steps.

"Don't you know it's rude to touch things that don't belong to you?" He smiled almost menacingly, and Tracy had the overwhelming feeling she made a mistake.


	3. Chapter 3

Tracy took a deep breath, considering her next words before righting herself.

"Uh... sorry." She replied, her voice small and meek. She clasped her hands together in front of her, not looking him in the eye.

He laughed uproariously at her response, quickly regaining his composure. "So, you were the one Miss Pauling was calling about? To be honest, I was expecting someone else."

"Well, wasn't exactly my idea." Tracy remarked spitefully, shifting from foot to foot as the Medic studied her.

"Well, however you may have come to be here is no problem of mine. We shall start the surgery immediately, ja?"

"Wait- surgery?!" Tracy had never had a single surgery performed on her in her life, so the sudden introduction was not at all welcome. The doctor rolled his eyes at her plight, turning to wash his hands at a sink and pull on blue medical gloves.

"Oh, don't be a baby. It won't even hurt..." He turned his head away from her, "... much."

Before she could ask what he meant by that, he spoke again. "Take off your shirt, I don't have all day. I have very delicate experiments I need to watch over."

Tracy had begun to comply when Pauling's voice echoed through her head, reminding her she wasn't supposed to reveal her gender to her team mates.

 _'Well, how in the hell am I suppose to keep it a secret to the doctor?'_ She wondered to herself, _'Fuck it, can't keep it from everyone.'_

She turned her back to the man and unzipped her hoodie, peeling off the shirt she had underneath. She hesitated just a moment before turning back to him.

The Medic seemed hardly fazed by this, "Oh? A female team member? Miss Pauling had neglected to tell me that."

"It's a long story." She sighed as the Medic gestured to the gurney, and she hopped up. She was incredibly nervous, a slight tremor in her hands as she layed on the cold metal.

"Why don't you fill me in then?" The Medic pulled a table to her side, readying his instruments of torture. Each was more intimidating than the last. If Tracy hadn't regretted her theft before, she sure was now. The Medic pulled the ray gun she had been playing with earlier closer and flipped it on to a low setting. The feeling was not as strong as before, just a slight hum that relaxed her body but not her mind.

"Let's just say I stole some things and Miss Pauling came to fetch me. I owe Blutarch a lot of money and I'm gonna be here for a year to pay it back." Tracy admitted in defeat, ashamed of her wrongdoings.

The german man clicked his tongue in mock anger, shaking his head as he put a hand on her stomach.

"We will begin now." He stated as a scalpel materialized in his other hand. "I will try not to grope you."

Tracy nearly bolted out of her position when she saw that, "Should I be awake for this?"

The Medic held her down with his hand, "As I said, if you were paying attention, this will not hurt."

"Much! You said much!" She squawked, but obeyed and relaxed back despite her worried expression.

Rolling his eyes, he deftly sliced from her collarbone down to her belly button. As he had said, it did not hurt much at all. All she felt was a slight discomfort, almost an itching sensation. Tracy looked away, afraid to look down and see her own innards. She took to looking above, the ceiling dimly lit.

"This looks all in order. One moment." He stepped away and crouched down, and returned with a strange metal device that did not look at all friendly. Tracy turned her sight away from it, a bead of sweat going down her face.

"Ah, this may be unpleasant." He state matter-of-factly as he slipped his hands between her ribs and placed the odd contraption between them. "Actually, could you place your hands here and here? I need both hands for this."

Feeling bile rise in her throat, she did as she assumed he wanted and place her hands in between her own ribs, plying them apart as far as she could.

"Good, good. Now, don't take a deep breath."

"Wh-HHHhhyYYYy?!" She yelped as she felt something snap, her muscles protesting as her ribs were opened entirely, revealing her lungs and heart. She gasped and took a breath, resting her hands on her upstanding ribs, a sharp stabbing pain radiating across her chest.

"Well, now you know." He removed the rib splitter from her body and casually tossed it aside. He loomed over her, scalpel in hand as he dove around her lungs. "...Whoops."

Tracy felt a lung short, and almost panicked before the Medic spoke again. "I'll put that lung back, don't worry Frau."

She could feel his hands moving inside her, a curiously sickening sensation as she felt gentle touches against her pumping heart.

"Now, please look at me." At first she didn't want to, but she obeyed and turned her head. He looked deadly serious, his eyes invading her own thoughts. "I am going to remove your heart."

"WHAT?!" She felt the urge to move, but refrained from doing so.

"You will be getting a replacement. The most important thing is that you keep your eyes open and do not panic. Focus on my voice." He spoke with a low, deep tone that made her both relaxed and on edge at the same time.

He turned his sight back into her body cavity, "Ready?"

She was unable to utter a response when she felt something severed in her chest. Her vision instantly went dark and spotty, and she struggled to remain conscious. She forced her body, sluggish as if she were treading water.

"Can you hear me? Good, you seem to be responding well. Just keep listening to me." She could hear the doctor, but could barely see him in the dimness. Eventually her vision started to come back, however hazy and blurry as it was. She blinked furiously, squinting to finally witness the Medic's face come into view.

"I will be right back." He stepped away to what appeared to be a refrigerator. He began to hum some sort of song, which relaxed her somewhat. She took to observing her surroundings, catching sight of something white darting overhead. It appeared to be a bird, most likely a dove. It cocked it's head at her before flying down to greet her, landing on an upstood rib. She shooed it away, irritated by the bird's antics. It cooed and flew away, landing on a light fixture.

"That was Archimedes. He's quite curious about the innards of my patients." The doctor returned once more, more amused than anything else. He held in his hands a heart of huge proportions with what seemed to be something metal jammed into it's side. Turning to the ray gun, he exposed the heart to the ray and it began to beat rapidly and glowed blue.

Tracy glared at him, "How in the hell is that gonna fit in my chest?"

"Well, it fit in the Scout's." The Medic shrugged as he plopped the heart into her chest cavity, maneuvering it and fitting the lung back in place. He proceeded to deftly snap her ribs back in place with a single motion, causing her to yelp in surprised and mingled pain.

Pulling the ray gun closer, he pulled the lever back entirely and Tracy was surprised to see her skin grow back over the slice, not even leaving a scar. Color returned even more, and she could breath more deeply.

Sitting up, she touched the area which had previously been split apart. She could feel the mammoth heart in her chest beating strongly. Turning to look back at the doctor, he was cleaning his tools.

"Miss Pauling had told me not to let anyone know I was a girl." She admitted, pulling her shirt and hoodie back on.

"And what makes you think I would have to comply with that?"

"Doctor-patient confidentiality?" She suggested jokingly. The Medic turned to look at her, treating her to a small laugh.

He mulled it a moment before nodding, a small smile on his lips. "I will consider it. Now off you go, I have other things to take care of."

* * *

Walking back up the steps from the medical lab, she was now lost as to what she was supposed to do. The halls were completely empty, and she was sure the Medic would not appreciate her returning to ask something so trivial as directions. She began to wander blindly, hands in her pockets as she tried to find someone or something.

BOOM! Something above the building sounded like it had exploded, startling Tracy as she braced against a wall. The building shook dangerously, and she was suddenly concerned with the idea that the whole thing could come crashing down on them all.

Brushing a hand through her short hair, she began a slight jog as she was now desperate to talk to someone, ANYONE.

Just as she was about to ascend a flight of stairs, a group of men in red uniforms began charging down. She pushed herself against a wall, trying to make herself as small as possible. She pressed her hands to her face, assuming the worst. She could hear them running, until she could hear them no more. Just as she was about to remove her hands, she felt someone else's on her shoulder.

"C'mon now, nothin' to be afraid of."

Startled, she removed her hands and was greeted by the sight of a man in a hard hat, goggles, and overalls. He was wearing red just like the men were before, but what really grabbed her attention was the warm smile on his face. Despite herself, she began to relax into his grip.

"Um, hi?" She squeaked out, and the man laughed.

"Nice to meet yah." He took a step back to get a look at her, considering her for a moment. "Never seen you around here, or up there either." He gestured with a thumb.

"Yeah... you could say I'm brand new." She was going to have to say that alot, didn't she?

"Well, I'm the Engineer for the RED team. Don't suppose you'd tell me why you're down here?" He rested his hands on the hand rail of the stairs as they began to climb up. Apparently, she had inadvertly found the exit just as they had invaded.

"I owe Blutarch money." She stated with slight annoyance just as they breached the next room. The suitcase that had been on the desk before was now gone, but she didn't consider why.

"Ah, so I suppose you're working for him now?" The Engineer seemed less than excited by this revelation, a small frown on his lips.

She sighed and gave a small shrug of defeat, "Didn't exactly have a choice in the matter. Besides, I haven't even been trained yet."

There was a period of silence as they made their way up another flight of stairs. Eventually Tracy could feel a small breeze and then the sun above them. She stretched as they walked onto a second story, greeting the sun with small smile.

Sitting down on the ledge, the man in the goggles invited her to sit down with him. Tracy didn't hesitate, as she automatically trusted the man for whatever reason. Perhaps it was the voice, perhaps he was the first person that hadn't greeted her violently, but whatever the case she liked him.

"Mah base is over there," He pointed straight across, indicating the building with the RED insignia. "Reliable Excavation Demolition. I created the system that keeps us coming back every time we die to each other's hands."

"Well then what's the point?"

"Then both the Manns would be constantly buying mercenaries over and over again, now wouldn't they?" He remarked, rubbing his chin. "Plus, I don't rightly think they know. The Administrator keeps a lot of secrets."

"I imagine so." She replied, remembering how the Administrator hadn't divulged her gender to Blutarch. She was ever so slightly thankful, if only because she would have either been killed or jailed otherwise.

Turning to look over at the Texan, a question sprung to mind. "So... what exactly are you guys doing down there? And why aren't you down there with them?"

He put his hands against the floor and leaned back, stretching. "It's a simple retrieve mission for information. We already got what we wanted, but the others love blood shed. I don't rightly have a taste for it." He paused, "I think the only reason you weren't killed on sight was the color you're wearing. Purple is supposedly a neutral color."

"Well... thanks. I think." She rubbed the back of her head. Thank god she didn't put on the uniform she had been given, or otherwise she'd probably be dead. Or... not, considering whatever system they had in place to bring her back.

Behind them, they could hear the commotion of many feet coming their way. The Engineer stood up and offered a hand, which she gladly took.

"Welp, time to head out. You should probably get back to your team." He said as he began to walk away.

"Hey!" She nearly shouted without thinking. The Engineer turned to look at her, an eyebrow raised. She paused for only a moment.

"Can we talk again? Even if we're on opposing teams?" She began to feel silly. She had only known this man for five minutes and she already wanted him as a friend. "I know Miss Pauling said not to make friends with the the REDs but-"

She was interrupted by a chuckle before he replied, "We'll see."

She watched as he turned a corner and disappeared. Soon after she saw the entire RED team, whooping and hollering in glee, running from her base back to theirs. She sighed and turned, wondering what exactly happened down there.


	4. Chapter 4

The sweet smell of food filled the kitchen as a person in a flame retardant suit was hunched over the oven, stirring a pot of chocolate sauce. Something was baking, probably brownies from what Tracy could smell from her seat at the table. Only a few other classes were sat in their seats, digging into their plates.

The person in the suit was named the Pyro. She had wanted to ask if they could take off the mask, but thought it might be rude. They spoke in mumbles, barely audible from their gas mask.

When Tracy had came back down, she had bore witness to blood splattered on the wall, but not much else. She had taken her sweet time, and thank god whatever body parts that had been strewn about had been cleaned up. She didn't think she could handle seeing something like that yet. Her team had noticed her absence during the skirmish, but didn't berate her as she had expected. They knew that she was completely untrained and unprepared, but that didn't stop them from giving her a pointed look for her lack of trying.

Tracy looked up from her plate, looking from mercenary to mercenary. Scout was sitting next to the Soldier and the Spy, chattering away as the Medic and Heavy spoke quietly beside each other. There was a man she had just been introduced to, the Demoman. He was a black Scot, and very very drunk. He was slumped over the table, a bottle of alcohol next to him while he slowly and messily shoved food in his mouth.

They had informed her that there was a few others she hadn't met yet. The Sniper and the Engineer of her team. She had neglected to tell them her meeting with the RED team's Engineer, since she knew it was discouraged to make friends between teams.

She was told that the Sniper usually camped out in his van over the hill when matches weren't being done. He was a loner and rarely ever joined in on group meals, and the Engineer was probably working on a schematic and had forgotten to eat.

"Do you think someone should go get the Engineer?" She had asked. Most paused to glance at her before shrugging.

"If ya want." Said the Scout, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. The Spy rolled his eyes, and Tracy was certain he was wondering why he was even present. "Don't think you'll change his mind though."

Tracy finished up the last of her meal before washing her plate and utensils and walking down the stairs. She hadn't got too familiar with the layout of the place, but she had been told that his workshop was near the medical lab. It took a good fifteen minutes before she finally stumbled upon his door.

She hesitated a moment, her fist poised at the door. Would it be rude to interrupt him? They never said he was an aggressive man, but she had the feeling he could be grumpy. Sighing, she decided just to get it over with. She knocked two times and took a step back.

From behind the door, she could hear someone shuffling before the door was cracked open. She saw goggles peek out at her before the door was completely opened, and she was shocked at what she saw.

He was nearly completely identical to the RED Engineer, in exception for the team color. He seemed just as surprised to see her from the look on his face, but he quickly lost the expression.

She wavered at the foot of his door, not sure what to say. She wanted to ask if they were twin brothers, but something in the back of her mind nagged at her that this would be a bad idea. Instead she smiled as warmly as she could.

"Hiya. I'm the new team mate the others had probably told you about." She offered a hand, "My name is Tracy, but you can just call me Thief."

The Engineer seemed reluctant, but took her hand anyways and shook it. "Yeah, they told me about ya." It was short and simple, quite unlike the warm voice of the RED Engineer.

There was a small pause while Tracy shifted from foot to foot before she continued.

"Um... yeah. I just wanted to come down and introduce myself." She chuckled nervously, "Oh! And dinner's being served in the kitchen. The others told me you often forget."

He appeared to perk up at this, and graced her with a very small smile. It was almost impossible to make out, but it was there. He nodded, "Much obliged. I'll be up there in just a moment, just gotta make a few calibrations."

She nodded and turned as the Engineer closed the door once more. She wondered why he looked just like the other Engineer, and it was eating at her bad. But there was something holding her back from asking that question, as if it was taboo. Perhaps she'd ask later, but for now she tried to just put it out of her mind.

When she returned to the kitchen, the brownies were done. Most of the classes remained in exception for the Soldier and the Spy. The remaining were chowing down on the brownies, and there was only a few pieces left. Tracy grabbed two, one for herself and one for the Engineer in case he wanted one. She poured a bit of the sauce on top of her own and slowly chewed through it, happy that they at least had something sweet. She had been told that the rations they were shipped in very rarely had anything sweet, and most sweets had to be bought separately.

Tracy sighed, wishing she could ask her mom to send something like banana bread, but she was cut from all contact to home.

After eating, she got bored of sitting at the table and joined the Heavy at the couch to stare at the television. It was about a half hour later when she noticed the Engineer still hadn't come up, and the food was getting cold. So she decided to warm up a small plate for him and walked back down to his room.

For some reason she felt incredibly shy, probably because she felt like she was bothering him. She reasoned that she could just set the plate on the floor and knock on his door and run away. She did as such, knocking quickly and ran around a corner. She felt so childish, but she really didn't want to bother him anymore than she already did.

Peeking around the corner, she saw the Engineer open the door and look around before noticing the plate. He kneeled down and picked it up, and before he returned she saw the smile on his face.

She felt giddy that she managed to do that, to make him happy, at least a little bit.

* * *

The next day arrived in a sudden burst of noise as she heard the sound of knuckles on her door. Whoever it was banged and banged until she shouted that she was awake.

"Time to get up, maggot! Team training in twenty minutes. Get yer ass down here and eat before I drag you out." It was the Soldier, of course. Now that he was aware of her presence, he was going to wake her up just like with the rest of the crew. Groaning, she rolled out of bed and pulled her clothes off, quickly spraying herself down in the shower before running back out to her room to change.

Since they were training, she thought it best to get into her uniform. Looking through her dresser, she came across the strange black garment from before. It looked like a bra, but when she pulled it on it constricted her chest entirely, hiding what little breasts she had to begin with. It was obviously to help hide her true identity, but that didn't mean she enjoyed the tightness. Groaning in defeat, she pulled on the rest of her uniform in except for the eye mask.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she couldn't help but be surprised. She didn't look as awful as she had expected, but she still poked and prodded at her belly fat in disgust. She had always been a chubby girl, and had gone on many diets and exercise plans but had always given up due to lack of results. Perhaps training with her team would help with that.

Exiting her room, she quickly made her way to the kitchen to grab something to eat. A few of the people already present did a double take at her appearance, the Spy nodding in approval. "Not bad. I assume Miss Pauling chose those for you?"

Tracy rolled her eyes but laughed a little at her own expense. "Yeah. To be honest, I would be more comfortable in what Scout is wearing, but this isn't too bad."

Someone had prepared pancakes before she had arrived, and she quickly stuffed her face with as much as she could. As she was eating, she was surprised to see the Engineer join them. He was one of the earliest, with the latest being the Scout. He grabbed his own plate and to her shock, sat right next to her. He didn't look at her nor say anything, but he seemed to be thinking about something.

Another man arrived, one she had never seen before, and through process of elimination she assumed he was the Sniper. He was a tall man, rugged looking wearing a boonie hat and a vest, with tinted orange glasses on his nose. He didn't look very pleased, dark bags under his eyes as he got a cup of coffee and quickly downed it, his face twisting in disgust.

The Sniper turned and caught her eye. He cocked a brow, leaning over to ask the Medic presumably who she was. Whatever answer he got pleased him, and he grabbed himself some toast before walking away. Tracy felt a bit embarrassed and slightly offended that he didn't approach her to introduce himself. Whatever the case, she was quickly distracted from those thoughts when the Engineer finally focused on her.

"Thank you." He said simply, quickly looking away once more to shove a slice of pancake into his mouth.

Tracy was caught in the act, even though she knew it was extremely obvious to him. Still, she played dumb. "What do you mean? For letting you know about dinner?"

"Naw, fer the food. To be honest, I wasn't actually gonna come out, but I did appreciate the gesture." He shrugged his shoulders. He looked uncomfortable talking to her, turning his head away and resting his elbow on the table, propping his head up with his hand. "Nobody's ever saved me a plate except for the Pyro or the Medic. But they've never brought it down to my workshop for me."

He squirmed somewhat in his seat, "So... thank you. Ya saved me the trouble of having to come up here myself."

That seemed to be the end of the conversation, but it wasn't like they had an opportunity to continue one. The Soldier stood up from his chair, knocking it to the ground in a clatter loud enough to silence the din of conversation.

"Let's go ladies. Outside, now!" He commanded, and began to march up the stairs. Everyone reluctantly stood from their seats and followed after him. Tracy followed behind the Medic and Scout, and wondered what in the hell was to follow.


	5. Chapter 5

Tracy huffed and puffed as they ran around 2fort. It was a blistering hot day, and she was suddenly aware of how thankful she was that they slept far under where the heat couldn't scorch them. They were outside the base, at least a few yards out in order to avoid complications from the enemy team becoming involved. The area had been prepped with a small outhouse and shade, with a few benches here and there and what looked like an area for more stationary exercises with blue mats on cement floor.

Doing laps wasn't too bad. Tracy could be pretty fast when she wanted to, but the fact was that she had very little stamina and tired out quickly. She was pleasantly surprised she was just behind Medic, who was the second fastest only to Scout who basically ran circles around everyone else. The slowest was the Heavy and the Soldier, who crawled behind everyone.

But as they ran, the Soldier ordered them all to move faster. At some point Tracy went from running to just barely jogging, and was about at the same pace as the Heavy. Unluckily for her, the Soldier was much more aggressive than he had been earlier. Screaming and hollering, he zeroed in on Tracy the most. Hazing she assumed, since she was the newest member.

"What are you, a PANSY?" He screeched, falling back just slightly to be in step with her. She cringed away, trying her best to run faster. She felt a stitch in her side, the breath escaping her lungs as she held the offending area and tried to push on.

"Yo, I haven't even broken a sweat yet!" The Scout yelled from the front of the pack, a goofy smile on his face. Tracy rolled her eyes and wiped the sweat off her brow.

She took deep, long breaths, trying to keep from collapsing. Her legs were tired and she felt like a headache was coming on.

They moved on from running laps. They began stretches and cardio, which Tracy tried her best to keep up at. She was glad to see she wasn't the only one struggling. A few others such as the Spy and the Medic weren't as physically strong as the others, or incredibly fit. The Spy was taking short and fast breaths, probably due to his habit of smoking every five minutes. He even had one hanging from his mouth as they exercised, but at some point it became extinguished.

The Medic wasn't as worse for wear, but she could see the sweat dripping off his brow as he grimaced.

Thankfully Tracy was allowed a small break for the firing range. She had fired a gun before, although not very often. But she was surprisingly not a bad shot. Of course, it took her awhile to be sure she was aiming correctly, unfamiliar with the pistol in her hands. She was nowhere near the level of expertise as the Sniper however, who barely had to glance through his scope to blast the head off the wooden cut out they were taking turns shooting at.

"Not a bad shot." He commented, but Tracy had a feeling he was being sarcastic. Nevertheless, she thanked him and continued to work on her aim.

While they had the opportunity, someone had snuck off to grab some water. Everyone desperately grabbed at it, and Tracy barely got the bottle when it was just about empty. She took a small sip, handing it to the Medic who nodded gratefully.

"BACK TO IT." The veteran commanded, and they obeyed. Push ups, sit ups, pull ups and the like. She took turns with the Scout holding down each other's feet while doing sit ups. Tracy offered the most to hold people, but felt the judgmental eyes of the Soldier on her back.

Onto pull ups, Tracy was the worst at. She could manage at least twenty push ups and sit ups each, but pull ups were beyond her. She could hang from the bar they had set up, but she couldn't find the strength in her to raise herself any higher than an inch.

The Soldier noticed this and stood beside her, growling and hissing each time she failed to get her chin above the bar. He never got physically rough, but he got pretty close to spitting in her face a couple times. Sweat raced down her face and neck, stinging her eyes. Just as she was about to give up hope, she surged forward in one last ditch effort and even surprised herself when she managed to get above the bar.

The surprise didn't last very long when she unintentionally let go, falling back and just missing the Soldier by an inch.

Tracy groaned, feeling her muscles cry out in protest. She wanted to just lay there, but the man in the helmet didn't accept her defeat.

"If you can't handle a damn bar, how in the EVER LOVING HELL are you gonna survive out there?!" He pointed to the battlefield, and she had to agree with him. She was not fit at all, and it scared her to think about it. If she wasn't fit enough, she would die over and over.

"I'm sorry sir." She groaned and rolled over onto her knees, grunting as the muscles in her legs protested.

"Sorry isn't good enough, MAGGOT. Do you think the enemy will be kind enough to stand by while you stumble to your feet?" He took a step closer, kneeling down to her level. "Because they aren't as nice as I am. NOW MOVE!"

He pulled Tracy by the hem of her turtleneck, hauling her to her feet and shoving her back towards the bar. "Get yer ass back on that bar. You ain't going nowhere until you can do fifty of those damn pull-ups."

Tracy's eyes widened, "Are you crazy?! I could barely do one!"

He stepped forward dangerously, interpreting her response as a challenge. "When I'm done with you, you'll be able to float up the damn thing. I'll stand here until the sun fucking rises, NOW GET TO IT!"

* * *

At some point it all became a blur. Perhaps it was dehydration from being forced to withstand the heat for the whole day, with just barely any hydration. Or maybe it was the mind-numbing yelling from the Soldier, and to his word stood right there with her as she struggled to find any sort of stamina left in her.

She hadn't seen who it was, but Tracy hypothesized that someone took pity on her and dropped off some bottled water. But Soldier could be a mean son of a bitch, drinking the water right where she could see him while he said she'd only get a drink if she could get to twenty-five.

When that mark came, she collapsed to a heap and struggled to get air while her lungs burned. She could feel something dripping onto her cheek, and she just barely turned her head to see the Soldier pouring water on her face. Despite how incredibly embarrassing the situation was, Tracy opened her mouth and welcomed it. It cooled her burning skin and her tongue was no longer as dry as the desert she lied on.

Her uniform was now nearly soaked from the waist up, but at least her hands weren't slippery. Soldier hadn't given up on her quite just yet, but allowed her two minutes to recouperate while he went to take a piss around the corner.

Getting up, she struggled to walk towards a wooden bench. Each and every muscle in her body felt like it was on fire, her body screaming for relief. She had nearly fallen asleep when the Soldier came back, slapping her on the shoulder to her dismay.

"C'mon son. If you can manage just fifteen more, I'll give ya mercy." He seemed to have calmed down at some point, having finally realized she was in incredible pain.

Tracy nodded dumbly, hardly comprehending what he said but only recognized the words "fifteen" and "mercy." She went back to it, struggling to lift herself. At this point it was incredibly unlikely she could walk back to the base from here.

She had been drifting off into her own thoughts when the Soldier grabbed her shoulder. She couldn't see his face from under the helmet, but she could see his frown.

"Son, are you alright?" There was genuine concern, which he seemingly tried to hide. She shook her head, the whole earth spinning before her.

Stumbling, she fell towards him and he caught her easily. "I think..." She trailed off, almost dozing, "I think I got... heatstroke?"

"I don't know what that is, but it sounds bad." He remarked. He took the Thief's arm over his shoulder, which she hissed in protest at, while he half dragged and half carried her back to base. Half-way there, he gave up on dragging and picked her up. At that she didn't respond to, leaning her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes.

She couldn't remember him walking through the intelligence room before she felt the coolness of the underground. Her head was muddled, everything blurry as someone forced a bottle of water in her hands. In slow motion, she opened it and gulped the whole thing down in one go, dropping it almost immediately.

Tracy could hear people talking, but she couldn't identify who. And she didn't really care either. In some point of time, she had been put down on a couch which she assumed was the one in the living area. Latex gloves prodded and poked at her face, forcefully opening one eye as a light was shown in her face.

"Ugh." She groaned, flinching away from the light and burrowing her face into the couch. The simple movement caused even more pain, and more moans of agony.

"Ach, I cannot get him to lie still." The Medic, from his accent and tone.

"He said heatstroke. Is that bad?" A scratchy voice asked with surprising naivety. The Soldier could be a hard ass, but he was adorably clueless as well. He wasn't exactly dumb, though.

Tracy could hear the Medic carefully explaining the concept to the military man, as if he were conversing with a child. The Soldier grunted in understanding twice and oohed.

"Ah, shit." He grumbled to himself.

"Indeed." Medic replied, exasperation in his voice. "You should count your blessings that you did not kill him. You were out there for what, four hours? You're lucky that Sniper went out there and dropped off a few bottles of water."

"So, he's gonna be alright?"

"Needs rest, at least until the day after tomorrow. No training at all, you understand dummkopf?"

"Yeah, yeah." There was shame in his voice perhaps? Or embarrassment?

Tracy didn't really have time to consider it before she was slipping back into the dark and enticing blanket of sleep.

* * *

The Thief awoke in her bed, disoriented to her surroundings. It was dark, but she had just enough light to see to make her way to the light switch. Her muscles felt bruised and battered, especially her arms. It hurt just to articulate her fingers, and her wrists felt like someone had broken each little bone with a hydraulic compress.

She found her door to have been unlocked, her keys having been set on her dresser. She was still in the sweaty and dusty clothes she had worn the previous day, but most appeared to have been dusted off. There was only a little sand in her bed, which she dusted off.

The shower was glorious, the hot water relaxing her muscles and burning away the accumulated sweat from the previous days work. When she was finally done steaming the bathroom up, she struggled to pull on casual clothing as each body part protested the movement.

As she padded barefoot down the hall, she was hit with an uncontrollable hunger. Her mouth watered as she walked as fast as she could without irritating her already agonized body.

Hamburgers had been prepared, and she nearly completely disregarded every other thing other than food when someone grabbed her arm. She yelped in pain, and the hand immediately released. Turning, Tracy was surprised to see the Soldier. She was nearly afraid of him insulting her for not completing the fifty, but she could see he wasn't angry. In fact, she was almost certain he looked... guilty?

"Go lay down on the couch, private. Don't need you walking around anymore than necessary." His voice was startling soft as he escorted the Thief over. The Scout was already present, but scooted over just enough for her to lay down comfortably. The Soldier offered to get her a burger and a drink, and Tracy was quite sure he was trying to make up for the treatment he gave her yesterday.

Tracy nudged the Scout's leg with her foot, "You know, he's pretty nice when he doesn't have a stick up his ass."

"You mean the handle of his shovel." Scout snorted in response, and the both of them laughed.

The two sat in comfortable silence until the Soldier returned with a big burger with literally all the toppings he could find in the kitchen (was that pineapple in there?) and a glass of iced tea. Tracy thanked him, setting the tea on an end table while she dug into the burger. It wasn't bad, but she wasn't really focusing on the flavor. In comparison to eating very little the day before, it tasted like the finest ambrosia.

The Soldier lurked around awhile longer, just to make sure she didn't need anything else before retreating back to his room. Tracy almost felt bad for the man before she remembered he was the one who got her into this, but even still the feeling remained. He didn't intend for her to get to such a state, he just wanted her to be strong enough to withstand the battlefield.

Tracy and Scout spent the rest of the day dicking around, watching television and talking. The Heavy joined in for a little while, since he had already polished his gun named "Sasha." Tracy was surprised at how talkative the Heavy could be once you opened him up a little bit.

"So I was like BONK! See ya!" The Scout had stood from his seat, miming out swinging a baseball bat. He was describing how he had decapitated a Heavy with his bat in battle, which the Heavy laughed at uproariously.

"Little man, you cannot do that to Heavy. Heavy too strong." He slapped his knee.

"Yeah, I'll believe it when I see it." Tracy rolled her eyes, resting her head on her hand as it was propped up on the arm of the couch.

"Well, you will! We have a match scheduled for tomorrow, and since the Doc only gave you one day of rest..." Scout grinned boyishly, but frowned when he saw all the color drain out of her face. "Uh... you okay? Should I get the Medic?"

Tracy didn't respond right away, shivering at the thought of going out on the field so soon. "No... I'm fine. I... just g-got a chill is all."

"A chill?!" A shout from the kitchen. The Soldier immediately charge in with a blanket, throwing it on her before charging away once again. The ridiculousness of the action released all the tension in the room, and the group laughed at the action.

If she was gonna go on the battlefield, at least she had her team behind her.


	6. Chapter 6

Tracy tapped her foot anxiously. Around her, the team was chattering away while sorting through their weapons and taking the last drinks of water they could, before they had to burst out into the sweltering and unforgiving wasteland. She couldn't understand how they were being so casual, risking their lives every single day with the _promise_ that the damn machine that brought them back wouldn't malfunction.

She had been told to follow the group and just stay close, especially to the Medic and the bigger guys who could protect her since she was so green. She halfway felt like she was just a burden to her teammates and that she would just get in the way, but Medic assured her that it would be okay.

"You are not the first new member of our team. Scout might have killed a few people in his days at home, but it was a learning experience for him too." He smiled, "Ah, I remember when he stumbled into a room with the RED Engineer who had set up in a corner. You should have seen the look on his face, before he was blown to bits by the rockets."

She watched in horror as he laughed, as if it were hilarious to talk about someone's horrific death. The Scout didn't seem too pleased either, rolling his eyes and the tips of his ears went red with embarrassment and anger.

The thought occurred to her that she might stumble across the RED Engineer, and worried for both his life and her own. She didn't want to have to hurt him, or see him get hurt, but there was little she could do to stop that.

The Thief was shown her weapons. She was rather surprised at what she received: a shotgun, a pistol with a silencer at the end, a screwdriver, and a small bag of chalky pellets that she had no idea what the purpose was.

"Smoke bombs." The Spy interjected as he stepped forward, probably noticing her hesitation. "They should give you a good ten seconds to escape while the enemy stumbles to find where you went. Take care not to drop them all at once, oui?"

She nodded and the Spy returned close towards the door. Tracy wondered how exactly he got around, since he never explained how. She could understand how the other classes got about. The Heavy brute forced his way through a crowd, and usually had the Medic on his back with the medigun. The Sniper never approached the front lines but kept himself in a nest on the second floor. The Engineer would stick around near the intelligence and the Scout would rush faster than the human eye could track.

Tracy didn't know exactly what she would be doing either. She assumed that she'd be the best candidate to steal the intelligence from the enemy base, but she was nowhere near fast as Scout to get in and out quickly, nor was she adequate enough with a weapon to brute her way out either.

She presumed that she'd have to follow another class in and get to the intelligence and just hope she could make it out before anyone bumped into her.

The intercom boomed to life, startling the wits out of her and dropped the styrofoam cup of water she had been taking small sips from.

" **MISSION BEGINS IN TEN SECONDS.** " The voice was loud and commanding attention. Tracy immediately stood from her seat, readying her weapons. Shotgun first? Probably the best option, although she had never fired one before. She had her pistol holstered on a strap around her chest and the smoke bombs and screwdriver in her pockets.

She stayed behind the pack as the voice counted down the seconds.

" **FIVE.** "

The Engineer hefted a toolbox over his shoulder, wrench in hand and prepared to bolt out down to the intelligence room.

" **FOUR.** "

The Heavy and Medic were already set up, the German doctor releasing a beam from his medigun and trained it onto the larger man beside him. Heavy was rotating the barrel of his minigun, staring directly at the door in concentration.

" **THREE!** "

Scout stamped his feet impatiently, muttering under his breath to "Hurry up already." The Sniper rolled his eyes and wiped his glasses with his sleeve, resting his rifle on his free arm.

" **TWO!** "

Demoman was already piss drunk at this point, probably three times above the legal limit, but had a surprisingly lucid expression as he readied his grenade launcher. The Soldier was lifting a rocket launcher in both hands, hunched over quite a bit.

Everyone took a collective breath in anticipation.

" **ONE! BEGIN!** "

An siren began to wail as the shutter door opened, and everyone began to charge out. Everyone yelled out some soty of battle-cry, rallying the others. The Scout was out first of course, disappearing past a corner. Engineer went straight down to the Intelligence, telling others to move out of the way.

Thief did as she was told and trailed after the Medic and Heavy, her breaths labored and panicky. Her hands shook, a death grip around the handle of her shotgun.

They ran down the stairs to the first floor and began their way outside. There was a bridge with water underneath, and what she could see was a sewage pipe leading directly under the RED Base. She could already make out the form of a RED Sniper watching their every move.

"Sniper!" She cried out in warning, and the Heavy and Medic hurried under the cover of the bridge. They could hear a shot which was absorbed by the bridge's roof.

It appeared the opposing team had a similar strategy. A RED Heavy and Medic began to stomp out of their base, and she could hear the sound of the minigun spinning before the shots were fired.

The Heavy grunted, taking most of the bullets as the Medic hid behind him, the lever of his medigun all the way down. Tracy ducked behind the larger man, wondering how many bullets he could take before eventually conceding. From behind her she could hear the blast of a rocket hitting the ground, and a yell of what was either pain or glee flying up and over her group.

The BLU Soldier, the mad man, had used his rocket launcher to catapult himself above the arena and into the RED Base. The Demoman had a likewise technique, firing sticky bombs to the floor and detonating them as he jumped. She had no idea how they managed to survive these attacks against themselves, and wondered how in the hell they managed to figure out how to do that.

Just as Tracy turned back towards Heavy and Medic, she witness the Russian kneel down, bleeding heavily from his wounds. The Medic was doing the best he could, but it was clear the Heavy did not have much time. There was only so much the medigun could do, and removing bullets was not one of them. At least the opposing team's Heavy looked just as bad.

Heavy gave one cry of pain before collapsing to the ground, the minigun clattering loudly onto the bridge. The Medic began to retreat, as did Tracy. She made a split-second decision, grabbing the doctor by his arm and leaping over the side of the bridge.

They slammed into the water. It wasn't extremely deep, but it was enough to break their fall. They swam under the bridge, but a minigun whirled again and began firing through. But with the most incredible case of luck she had ever had, not a single bullet hit them and they were able to make it into the sewage pipe under RED.

"Are they going to follow us?" She asked the doctor. She was leaning against the walls of the pipe, her hand still locked around the Medic's arm. She let go, giving him an apologetic smile, however forced it was.

He growled in frustration. "Nein. We are insignificant to their objective, although I would not put it past them." He took off his glasses, wiping the water away. It was a wonder how they even stayed on in such a mess. "They will be heading towards our base. However, since we are here, we should move towards theirs. If we move quickly, perhaps we might be able to get it."

He began to march forward, turning the corner. The Thief chased after him, "Are you crazy? Without Heavy or Soldier? We'd be dead in a heartbeat!"

He scoffed, brushing aside her worries with a hand. "Please, do you think of me as incapable? I have killed many men over the years."

"But I haven't!" She threw up her hands in frustration. "If you die, then I am totally screwed."

"Enough!" The Doctor snapped. Tracy stepped back, having never seen the Medic in such a mood. It was honestly very intimidating, considering she had always seen the doctor happy or just grumpy, never truly angry. "We have no time for your feelings of fear. Do you think we do not fear for our lives?"

She didn't answer, cowed by his outburst. He was right, there was more pressing matters at hand than her petty emotions. She had to get serious and focus on the objective.

They ran up a flight of stairs, Thief following after the Medic. For the most part, the ground level was clear.

He shushed her as they went up another set of stairs, creeping over a grate floor. Tracy recognized the layout of the building, as it perfectly matched her own. The Medic peered out the doorway, and quickly pulled his head back. There was a sound of footsteps, but they eventually faded.

"Now!" He hissed, and bolted from the room. Tracy tried to keep up, constantly looking back to see if anyone was following them.

They went down a winding decline, Medic stopping once again to peer out.

"Even if we get near the Intelligence without getting caught, how are we going to deal with Engineer's sentries?" She whispered.

"A distraction." He replied, furrowing his brow with a frown on his lips. "I will go first to one side and you the other. The sentry guns cannot shoot both of us at the same time."

Tracy shook her head, a small smile on her lips. "Yer crazy doc."

"I know, you've already said it twice." He snorted back, his frown transforming into a wry grin.

She took the right, the shorter route, while the Medic took the longer hallway. Tracy stood around the corner, and heard the beeping of the sentry as it turned towards the Medic and began to fire.

Moving as fast as she could, she turned the corner and ran right up to the contraption, firing point-blank. Sparks flew as it became irreparable. It burst into flames and exploded, knocking her back into a wall.

She turned just slightly to catch sight of the Medic's body lying face-first on the ground, lying in a pool of blood. Her throat closed, blood draining from her face. He was dead? However, she had no time to mourn the loss as a flash of RED uniform entered her vision. The RED Engineer.

He growled in anger, and perhaps didn't recognize her in the uniform or didn't care, whipping out a pistol from a pocket in his overalls.

Time slowed, what felt like a minute was only a couple seconds. She had a choice: shoot him, run away, or try to reason with him. She chose the third option.

"Wait!" She cried out, raising a hand.

He hesitated before nodding, "Spit it out."

Moving fast, she removed her hat and face mask, revealing her identity.

"Ah, it's you. Thought it mighta been a Spy." He didn't lower his weapon, but his expression softened slightly. "Listen buddy, I can't just let you take the briefcase."

"But I don't want to hurt you." Her brow furrowed.

"Welp, that's just how it works around here." He said this with amusement and was seemed like regret. He aimed, but she quickly moved and closed the gap, pushing him to the ground. He grunted, falling against a dispenser that had been set up near the intel. Without thinking, she grabbed it and was immediately greeted by the sound of an alarm.

" **ALERT! The enemy has taken our intelligence!** " It was the same booming voice as before, and Tracy wondered why the same voice would be playing on the opposing team's intercom.

Turning to run, she threw a hand in goodbye. "See ya later!"

She could hear cursing behind her, and she couldn't help but feel slightly giddy. She was actually doing it! She just then remembered the smoke bombs, putting three in her free hand as her shotgun was slung over her shoulder.

She decided to go back the way she came, running up the incline. It was near the resupply area, but she knew it was the fastest way out and hoped to god that there wasn't anyone returning to that area. It then just occurred to her that other people hear the alert from the intercom, and that meant they would be coming to get it back.

Fear crawled into her throat, making her dizzy. There was no time for panic, so she acted purely on instinct. She had to at least pass it off to another member of her team.

Running near the resupply area, she was greeted by an enemy team Pyro. In its hands was a flamethrower, and Tracy knew her death was imminent. It did not wait around, chasing after her. Flames erupted from the weapon, setting her clothes alight and burning her skin and hair. She screamed in agony, running and falling through the grate in the floor and through the doors of the entrance.

BLU Scout was running towards her when she threw the intelligence at him and dove into the water, immediately extinguishing the flames.

"Yo, thanks pally!" He threw up a hand in gratitude before running back to base. A Soldier was in hot pursuit, rocket jumping through the air and disappearing into the BLU base.

The pain was not as bad as it was before, but she was still in a great deal of pain. It felt like her entire back had been fried on a hot iron, and she could feel blisters forming on her back already. She needed the Medic, and now.

She was struggling through the water when she saw BLU Scout again near the sewage pipe. He stepped towards her, but not into the water and offered a hand. She took it gladly, wincing in pain as her burns rubbed against the fabric of her shirt.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Hell no, my back is burned to shit." She growled, stepping around him and intending to find the Medic.

"How about I do you a favor?" There was the sound of hissing as Scout's Bostonian accent turned into French. "I'll remove the pain altogether."

She was in too much pain to turn around, her eyes wide as the last thing she saw was the glint of a blade.


	7. Chapter 7

It was just like blinking.

Tracy was suddenly back in the resupply of her base. She squealed, spinning around despite herself, but the enemy Spy was nowhere to be seen. She was pleased to find that her burns were gone, her uniform just as pristine as it had been before she even stepped out of base.

A shiver went down her spine. She had... died?

The BLU Scout ran in, and Tracy immediately jumped backwards, shotgun at the ready. The Scout raised his eyebrows, and then a look of understanding went across his face.

"Ooooh, Spy right?" He appeared irritated, "Yeah, he disguises as people. Ya need to watch out for him. But don't worry, teams are prohibited from entering enemy spawns. Somethin' about Geneva convention or somethin'." He shrugged, going over to the medical cabinet to grab a fistful of pills and shove them down his throat. He was mumbling something about a "damn spook" and his mom.

Tracy was concerned for a moment about taking an excessive amount of medicine but realized the Scout would indeed do something like that, and relaxed.

She suddenly perked up. "Wait... where's the intelligence?"

The Scout turned back to her, gulping down a bottle of water. "Oh, I passed it to the Soldier."

Just as they were about to step outside, the intercom was activated. "We have captured the intelligence!"

There was a sudden rush of all classes converging on the resupply, whooping and holler. The Demoman grabbed her shoulder and shook her around while a few others gave her a congratulations.

"Little man is credit to team!"

"Excellent work."

"Nice job."

Tracy stood wide eyed and frozen, confused by their praise. "Uh, what's going on?"

"What's goin' on?!" Demoman guffawed, "Lad, you helped us win! You and Medic!" The Scotsman grabbed the Medic by the side and pulled him into the circle. The Medic didn't seem enthusiastic about the force, but was happy all the same to win.

"Oh!" Her eyes went wide, and she smiled. "Well, I woulda completely failed if it hadn't been for Medic."

"Danke." The German doctor smiled, brushing the Demoman aside to rest a hand on her shoulder. "I told you it would be fine, see?"

Tracy rolled her eyes, "Yeah, yeah."

* * *

In all respects, Tracy had to be the luckiest woman alive.

Meaning, she was very lucky to not have seen anything worse on the battlefield. For the most part, she hadn't seen anything quite horrific enough to damage her psyche. Sure, the Medic's corpse lying face first in a pool of his own blood was horrifying, but witnessing the aftermath was worse.

It had been a mistake. All she had wanted to do is step out and get a fresh breath of air. She immediately regretted it. What she was greeted by was the scent of iron, blood splattered everywhere. She could make out the corpses of REDs and BLUs alike, body parts ripped and torn, organs lying here and there. Corpses and little chunks of flesh floated in the water below the bridge.

It took all over her will power to not vomit right then and there. She turned and quickly went down, past the intelligence room, and into the kitchen.

Indeed, she was quite fortunate to not have witnessed what had happened to kill these men first hand.

In the kitchen, the Pyro was busy at the oven. The smell of steak smelt delicious, but didn't help her nausea at all. The rest of the team was crowded around the table, even the Sniper and Engineer.

She didn't speak, taking a seat beside the Engineer and Medic as food was passed around. Tracy really didn't feel like eating aftering seeing what she had just saw.

"Put some damn meat on your plate, private!" The Soldier barked from across the table, lifting his helmet just a tad to make eye contact with her. Afraid of his wrath considering he had gotten over the heatstroke incident, she dutifully put an adequate size steak on her plate and began to pick at it.

The Demoman beside him was already drinking again, if he hadn't been on the battlefield (which was honestly pretty likely) and began drunkenly saying he'd kiss her if he wasn't the man he was. She blushed and turned away, stuffing a piece of steak in her mouth and piled some mashed potatoes on her plate, somewhat disappointed that she couldn't reveal her true identity.

All of a sudden, it occurred to Tracy that she never asked how the respawn worked. Or how the opposing team looked exactly like her own. She turned to look at the Engineer.

"Hey, if ya don't mind me asking..." She paused to sip a glass of iced tea. "How does the respawn actually work?"

"Errr..." He hesitated, fork poised at his mouth with a good amount of mashed potatoes. He swallowed it before answering. "Can't tell ya that. Adminstrator needs some things to be private, ya know?"

"Oh! Well... could I ask why the opposite team looks exactly like you guys?"

The entire table paused what they were doing. Those who had been bringing glasses to their mouth stopped in their tracks, silverware was dropped, and even the Pyro was frozen at the stove with his hand poised to flip a steak.

Tracy at once felt all eyes on her, and shrunk down into her seat. It seemed only the Spy was unaffected, but didn't seem any happier by the mention of it.

"I should expect Miss Pauling to contact you about that, since you weren't a failure on the battlefield." He elegantly held his fork and knife in both hands, cutting his steak into bite sized pieces. "But in all honesty, you may not be happy by what you learn. Most do not like to speak of it."

"Oh." She was disheartened, mortified that she had asked that.

For the rest of the dinner, most were quiet or spoke softly to one another. None spoke directly to Tracy, but threw glances her way. The Spy seemed the calmest, understanding even, that she hadn't known it was such a taboo topic.

He even walked her back to her room.

"Do not worry about it." He said, fishing out a cigarette from his inner jacket pocket, "The Scout had asked a similar question. They will forget soon enough, and forgive you before even that."

"Thank you." She nodded, giving him a grateful smile while brushing her hair out of the way.

He noticed this, "You should probably get your hair trimmed. I have no doubt Mr. Doe will eventually notice despite his sight being incredibly limited, and threaten to 'buzz' it off."

Tracy was flabbergasted, but knew he was right. That was exactly what the Soldier would do, wouldn't he? She nodded her head in thanks before walking to her room.

It was only a couple hours later that someone was knocking at her door. She sighed, having just gotten ready for bed and hoped it wasn't too important.

To her surprise, it wasn't a member of her team but Miss Pauling at her doorstep.

"Richardson. Good to see you're fitting in nicely so soon." She smiled, and gestured to her. "You don't need to change, just grab your shoes and follow me."

"What's this all about?" Tracy asked as she grabbed her shoes from the closet, sitting down on her bed as she slipped them on.

"Well, I'm sure you have noticed the opposing team looks exactly like your own." Pauling replied as Tracy nodded, locking the door and following the other woman. "Since you've passed the initiation and didn't do horrifically, you're ready."

"Ready for what exactly?"

Miss Pauling didn't reply, leading her down corridors and stairs that Tracy hadn't noticed beforehand. It was deathly quiet, just the sound of their footsteps echoing as they descended.

They inevitably stumbled across a door, which Miss Pauling took out a huge ring of keys with multiple colors. She selected a blue key and unlocked the door, ushering Tracy in.

It was huge, occupied by what looked like a generator at the bottom. They were elevated on a platform high above the floor, with dark containers at either side. Tracy stepped closer to one of them, squinting and peering in. What she saw shocked her.

It was... her. The clone's eyes were shut, their face relaxed. It was floating in some sort of liquid, suspended in the middle. From what she could see, there were no tubes or wires supporting her.

"What the hell...?" Tracy stumbled back, bumping into the handrail. Miss Pauling wasn't affected by her reaction, walking past her to a console at the very center of the room. Tracy stumbled after, passing by tubes filled with her teammates.

"This is the respawn, and how you all come back from the dead." She gestured, "This is also the reason why RED looks exactly alike."

"They're clones?" The Thief's eyes were wide, bringing a hand to her chest. It felt as if the room was spinning.

"Well, technically you all are. When you died on the battlefield today, you're officially a clone." Miss Pauling replied nonchalantly, pressing a button on the console. An empty tube raised from the machine, alongside a syringe.

"I was able to take a small blood sample from you before I brought you here, but it was only enough for one or two clones to allow you to respawn. I would have taken more, but you had ketamine flowing through your veins at that point." The woman in violet took the syringe in one hand, gesturing for Tracy to come closer. "And since you did so well, the Adminstrator has approved a permanent respawn for you."

"Are you actually saying that if I had died more than once, I would be permanently dead?" She felt sweat go down her brow, unaware as Pauling took her arm and swiftly poked the needle of the syringe in. Normally she would have shied away from needles, but she was too far in shock to notice.

"Probably, unless we found your body soon enough and got enough blood. And if the Adminstrator approved of it." Miss Pauling pulled back the plunger and took the needle from her arm. "This should be enough for the system to syphon off of the clones rather than constantly ask you to come in for blood donation."

Miss Pauling took the syringe and injected the fluid into the clear tube and once again pressed a button. The tube closed and retreated back inside the console and began whirring loudly. From behind her, she could hear the sound of something dunking into water. Turning around, she witnessed more clones fall into tanks.

"So this is why no one wanted to talk about it." Thief frowned, pressing a hand to the glass tube. A thought materialized in her mind, "What if one of them breaks lose?"

"That won't happen. The device the Medic has in those hearts alerts the respawn when you die to release another one of you. As long as you're still alive, any clones that happen to even fall out of their containment will be nothing but a lifeless corpse." Miss Pauling seemed satisfied and began walking back to the door. She paused for a moment, turning her head back. "Well, that is if you aren't dead. Then you might wake up falling into the generator."

"Does that mean... there will be another one of ME on the battlefield?"

"Oh, of course. We can't have one side having an extra man. That would make it unbalanced." She opened the door and held it for Tracy.

"Isn't that the entire point of war?" Tracy cocked a brow.

"Well, maybe, but it's not beneficial to Helen." Miss Pauling froze for a moment, "Ah, that's the Administrator. She probably won't be happy you know her name, but you're bound to eventually hear of it."

Tracy took note of that, filing it away for further questioning. She decided not to ask now, since she had so much more to digest. Clones. She was a clone, right now. The person that had died from that backstab? That was her, the original Tracy Richardson, who was now dead forever.

While Tracy was having her identity crisis, Miss Pauling lead her back up to her room and bid her good night.

"I know it's a lot to think about. If it helps, I'd go to the Medic and ask for some sleep aid. You shouldn't have a match tomorrow, if memory serves." Pauling adjusted her glasses, giving the Thief a comforting pat on the shoulder. "Try to sleep, Thief."

And with that, Tracy was left sitting in her room.

For awhile, she just sat there and took in everything that had just happened. Below her, at that very moment, were exact replicas being born into tubes. Lifeless, conscious-less bodies until the moment that this clone body she was inhabiting died. She took her head in her hands, breathing deeply.

Her room suddenly felt stifling, like she couldn't breath. She burst out, running up to the kitchen.

It was late at night, only one person in the kitchen. The Demoman was drunk, but not terrible so and was taking a bottle of alcohol from the fridge. He looked back at her, noticing her grim and haunted expression. She didn't say a word as she marched right up to him, snatching the bottle from his hand and taking a gulp without hesitation.

"Woah! Watch it lad, that's ninety proof." He didn't stop her though as she took another swig, wincing at the awful flavor on her tongue.

"I have no idea how you drink this shit." She shoved the bottle back into his hands and dove into the fridge looking for something more palitable.

"Years and years of drinking," He took a longer drink than her, smacking his lips audibly. "Now, mind tellin' me why in the bloody hell you'd be so desperate to take a drink of my scrumpy?"

She found herself a can of soda and popped it, taking a drink before turning back to him. She could already feel the alcohol hitting her, and stumbled to take a seat at the couch. The lights were off, only the glow of the television lighting her way.

"Clones." She muttered, and the Scotsman immediately understood.

"Aye, nasty business that." He nodded, taking a seat beside her and taking another gulp. "Never get comfortable with it. Always on me mind when ah get sent back here."

"And- and the REDs. One of them will be me." She was definitely tipsy, "Will it have my memories? Will they even know they're a clone?"

She hiccuped, setting her can on the floor and motioned to take another drink from his bottle. He shrugged and offered her it, and she accepted gratefully. This time she just sipped, remembering the last time she got piss drunk, and handed it back.

"Now I see why ya drink." She giggled, a despondent resonance in her voice. "I honestly don't think I can handle it."

"Ya will, don't worry." He patted her on the back as she began to slump and lean on his shoulder. "Bein' drunk is just what ah do, although that thought in the back of me head don't do much good for it."

Tracy was hardly listening at this point, the flashing lights of the television entrancing her. Soon enough she was slipping, falling into a deep sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Tracy awoke to someone shaking her rather roughly. Her head pounded, a headache making it obvious just how much she had drank the night prior. Her eyes reluctantly opened and she winced at the light, greeted by the sight of the Sniper. She hadn't actually spoken to him yet personally, but she knew he was the one to bring out the water bottles a couple days ago.

He seemed about as enthused as she was.

"C'mon, I let you sleep until three. Need you to come with me and a few others to get groceries." He stated this gruffly, "My van's out back, get ready quick and get in."

The Thief blinked furiously and got up, rubbing the crick in her neck and wincing. Demoman must have left earlier, but he had been nice enough to cover her with a blanket.

Sniper left as she went to go grab a cup of coffee and a piece of toast, walking while trying not to spill the cup. It wasn't as hot as the previous days, with clouds blocking most of the sun. Still, it was uncomfortably warm and Tracy had to pull back her collar once or twice. Already present outside the van was the Spy and the Scout, bickering over what to buy.

"C'mon, I'm all out of cash and you know I NEED that stuff." Scout complained, stretching out his arms and waving.

"You can survive a week without that garbage." Spy had a list in his hands, going over what to buy. Tracy had heard the Spy was in charge of the little funds they were given for extra food, things like sweets and sodas and the like. She knew from others that he was notorious for denying almost every single request, only ever giving in to small demands.

The Bostonian stomped his feet. "You see how fast I am when I drink that stuff? I can dodge bullets!" He grunted, "S'not like your fancy shmancy cigarettes make you more invisible or something."

Spy didn't respond, instead turning towards the approaching Thief. "Ah, nice of you to finally join us. Since you helped win the last match, I suppose we can get one thing of your liking at the mall."

Scout immediately turned to her, trying his best to make puppy dog eyes at her. She frowned, already feeling her resistance crumbling. Spy slapped the Scout on the back of the head. "Enough of that. Get in."

He grunted and pouted, stepping into the van.

"Well?" Spy turned back to her.

"I honestly wouldn't know what to get." She paused, thinking. "How about I look around and see what they have?"

"Fine by me." Spy returned the list to one of his inner pockets, glaring at the camper van. "Ugh, hopefully this time the bushman cleaned this damn thing."

Spy grudgingly stepped in, Tracy taking a gulp of her coffee before going in after him. The van was reasonably big enough for them all, as long as they sat down. Scout was sitting at the little table across the small kitchen area, chewing gum and popping it audibly. Spy sat across from him, frowning at the boy before simultaneously putting out a cigarette and lighting one.

There was a ladder and above she could see a blanket hanging over the side and assumed that was the bed. There was a few small storage spaces, and jars everywhere that were filled with a mysterious yellow liquid. Tracy didn't really want to know what was in them.

Closing the door behind her, she looked around for a seat. She could squeeze in with the Scout or Spy, although she assumed the passenger seat up front was available.

"Why aren't one of you guys sitting up front?" She asked, taking the last gulp of her coffee before setting the cup in the sink. She hoped the Australian didn't mind.

"The bushman and I don't get along, but it is necessary I accompany him and whoever volunteers to the mall, otherwise they would buy everything and leave little for necessary supplies." The Spy gestured with his free hand.

"He says I talk too much." Scout replied petulantly, rolling his baseball up and down on the table, one hand supporting his head as he leaned.

"O...kay." She stepped past them and joined the Sniper up front. He glanced at her, his expression unreadable as she sat down beside him. Buckling her seatbelt, the engine revved to life. They went over a familiar bumpy gravel road until they finally hit blacktop.

The front cabin had very little. An ash tray, a little bobblehead, and a "#1 Sniper" coffee cup were sitting on the dash. Tracy finished her toasted, rubbing away the crumbs onto her trousers.

They were silent for awhile. Tracy didn't really know how to spark up a conversation. He seemed like the untalkative type, the kind to ignore and avoid discussion.

"So, uh..." God, why did she speak? The Sniper glanced over at her, keeping an eye firmly on the road. The road was clear, thank god. "Nice... van."

He stared before snorting out a laugh. She blushed in embarrassment, squirming in her seat and running her fingers over the burn marks in the leather.

"You're the first person to say so." He remarked, overlooking his turn signal as he went around a bend. She could sense he thought she was being sarcastic.

"No, really!" She put up her hands, "I mean, I've always wanted to own a RV and travel around. Better to steal stuff and get out quickly."

"Well, this girl is real old. Breaks down every couple of months or so."

"Why don't you ask Engineer-"

"My van, don't want anyone touchin' it. 'Sides, I can fix her up well enough. Don't need the hardhat poking through all my things or installing a damn sentry or somethin'." He rubbed his nose, glancing out the window. The left rear-view mirror was busted to hell, with only a few fragments of glass left to look back with.

"I see your point. I have no idea how to fix cars anyways." She shrugged.

In the distance she could see a small town. They passed by a welcome sign, "Welcome to Teufort! America's Gravel Basket! Population: 1280." Even from how far away they were, she could see a statue of a horse and a man hiding behind it. Right next to it appeared to be a dump caged in with with a wire fence.

It was a small town, with few people wandering the streets. Most seemed unaware and even grinned at their vechile as they passed.

"Ugh, this is creeping me out." Tracy shivered uncomfortably.

"That should be expected." The Spy appeared from behind them, startling her. "Don't drink the water here."

"Why not?"

"It's lead poisoned. Everyone here is about as insane as our Mr. Doe." He remarked, "On a related note, the Soldier has drank the water here for a long time."

"Ah, makes sense." She frowned as they passed by a library with a huge bonfire right next to it. The fire was high and burned quite brightly. "What the hell is happening over there?"

"Ah yes, the world's largest continuously burning book fire." Spy eyed the place with disdain as they went by.

"How in the hell has this town not gone down the shitter?" Tracy was now nervous to even step out of the van. "I mean, even more than it already has."

"Beats me." Sniper growled out as they finally turned into the mall's parking lot. "Just don't go talking to anyone and stick near us."

"Yeah, noted."

They unbuckled their seatbelts, the Sniper taking the key out of the ignition. Sniper flicked Scout's ear as he had been napping in his seat. They stepped out into the parking lot, the doors locked. They made their way to the mall, which was bustling with many people who all seemed just as blithe and unaware of their surroundings as Spy had made them out to be.

"Grocery is over here." Scout waved over their little party as they entered the store. A few teenagers were at the check out lanes, bored out of their minds and slumped over their registers. Hardly anyone looked up at them as they began to walk through the aisles.

The Scout had came along mostly to try and weasel out enough cash from Spy to buy his favored brand of soda called "BONK!", although had only been allowed to accompany them due to his speed to get in and out quickly. No one wanted to stay long. The Bostonian grabbed a cart and was walking beside the Spy as he grabbed some necessities like body wash and cheap sweets for the rest of the team.

Tracy walked beside the Sniper, who was mainly keeping an eye on the other customers. Aside from driving them there, he was a good eye.

She, on the other hand, was only there to help haul the bags into the van. Everyone else had refused, so she was the last one out.

"Do you get anything for yourself?" She asked the Sniper.

"Not usually. I buy my own things." Sniper replied as he watched the Spy squabble with the Scout who had grabbed a pack of soda.

"Ah." That seemed to be the end of the conversation, or at least what Tracy could think up at the top of her head to talk about. She had never really been good at conversing to people, and it had been a miracle she had any friends at all back at home. Well, had as in past-tense.

"C'mooooon!" Tracy turned her head as the Scout let out a loud whine. His face was red with anger and frustration. Spy looked to be at his wits end, almost completely ready to blow up at the younger man. Tracy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She liked Scout, he could be a funny guy, but he could be truly annoying at times. This was one of those times.

"Alright, geez!" She shouted as quietly as she could as to not bring any attention upon them. "Wouldja shut up? Just buy the damn stuff for him, Spy, please. He helped win the match yesterday too."

Scout beamed at her as the Spy rolled his eyes and begrudgingly allowed the Bostonian to put the soda in the cart. Spy was muttering something about the Scout being a brat, but the boy didn't seem to notice or was too ecstatic to care.

As they were heading towards the checkout lanes, something caught Tracy's eye. A small packet of chocolate French truffles. It was far too expensive for Tracy to ask the Spy for, and even then she assumed that Scout's soda was probably on her account. But even if she hadn't allowed the Scout to have his soda or if they had more money, she felt the urge.

She had this urge many times. To take and steal, regardless of what it was or if she could have just bought it. It was an irresistable temptation, tension building up in her that just had to be released.

She snatched one of the packages from its box and stuffed it into her trouser pocket. Thankfully, no one was around to witness her theft, but the fear of having been seen was overbearing.

She stiffly followed her team as they began unloading their cart. The employee at the register slowly scanned them and pushed them over to the bagging area, where an older woman meticulously and even more sluggishly bagged them. Sniper tapped his foot, checking his watch as the last of the groceries were sent down the line.

Eventually, and thankfully, the Spy handed over the money to pay and the Scout snatched the last of the bags from the old woman's hands and bum rushed the cart out of the grocer. The Frenchman politely took the receipt as quickly as possible before walking out at a quick pace.

"This is why we only do these trips once a month." Sniper mumbled as they followed Scout out the double doors. The Thief wasn't really listening, glancing back to the store once or twice to make sure no one was following or watching them (aside from the regularly crazies.)

Relief only came when they finally exited the mall. All the build up and fear that had accumulated faded away, leaving only excitement and guilt. This is why she got probation on her last job. Well, previous job.

They got back into the van, hauling their bags into the kitchenette as the Sniper got in an started the van, turning on the air conditioning. Just as the last bag was brought in by the Scout, and Tracy was about to step on, the Spy pulled her back.

"I saw what you did back there. Did you think no one would notice?" He lit a cigarette, the smoke temporarily clouding his expression. Tracy's went as red as their opposing team's uniform, her eyes going to the ground. Blacktop sure was interesting, wasn't it?

"I will not report you, since I really do not care one way or the other, but do please try to avoid getting caught." The Frenchman blew a cloud of smoke away, which was caught by the breeze. "I imagine Mademoiselle Pauling would not be thrilled to have more bodies to dispose of."

Tracy nodded, ashamed of herself. While she had a good idea of what was wrong with her, her mother had never had the funds to go seek a psychiatrist. They were too expensive, and she feared they would treat her with the wrong thing.

"Might I see what you procured?" Spy asked, and she reluctantly took out the package of sweets. An amused smile crossed his face, taking the package in his hands. "Hmph, French truffles? Theses wouldn't even come close to the genuine kind. Perhaps I could share some the next time I order from my home."

Thief looked up at the Spy, incredulous. Really, he would offer to do that for her? She gave him an apologetic smile. "That would be nice, thank you."

"If you two are done yapping, we got places to go and the cold stuff is gonna get hot if we don't get moving." The Bushman peered out from the door, offering Tracy a hand.

She gladly accepted, happy to find her team was getting more and more comfortable with her. Perhaps there was hope for her yet.


	9. Chapter 9

They burst out of the respawn, guns loaded and adrenaline pumping through their veins.

"Charge!"

"Get at em' lads!"

The Thief lagged behind, a jittery mess as she knew or at least had a very strong suspicion that there would be a RED Thief. She didn't know how to handle it. Who exactly could, knowing there was an exact clone of yourself that had to kill you?

She slowly walked out, and was surprised by the sight of the Pyro seemingly waiting for her. She hadn't really spoken to the Pyro, if you could call grunts and mumbles as a conversation. It was mostly made up of brief hellos and bumping into each other in the hall with a quick "excuse me."

Pyro cocked his... her... head. Tracy had no idea what gender Pyro was. There was never any signs, although she had noticed the rather girly purse in the cubby where they stored their weapons. Pyro was often picked on for it too, but most didn't really speak to the Pyro aside from the Engineer. From her past experience with the enemy Pyro, she was somewhat hesitant to even speak to them.

"Mmhrgh?" Pyro grunted out, the noise barely making it past the mask.

"Uhm..." She didn't know how to respond. "You wanna tag along?"

The Pyro nodded their head furiously, and Tracy was slightly relieved. At the very least she would have some sort of backup if she ran in with the enemy Thief. They made their way downstairs, peering through the door to the outside to see what was happening.

Unfortunately for her, at the very moment she had looked outside, an enemy rocket had blasted to pieces their Scout. Body parts and blood sprayed everywhere, coating the outside of their base. Tracy jerked back from the door, nearly having been sprayed in the face with giblets. Instantly, she turned and vomited, coughing and sputtering.

Pyro didn't seem fazed, stepping over to pat her on the back as she released the contents of her stomach. Once she was done, her throat burning with stomach acid, she grabbed a rag from a nearby crate and wiped the saliva and vomit that had been stringing from her mouth.

Before she could even react, the Pyro swept her up in a huge, rubbing her lower back and mumbling something into her ear. It had been the first friendly physical contact that she had gotten here, and she almost began to weep before returning back to the situation at hand. There was no time to break down in a position like this. She could deal with the trauma later. Who knew if an enemy Spy would come up behind them. She gently pulled away, giving the pyromaniac a small smile.

With a quick glance out the door, it appeared there was no enemy in sight. Scout had respawned and jumped over the canopy of the bridge, the crack of a sniper rifle being heard.

"Time to move." The Thief hissed as she ran out, the Pyro not far behind. They made their way across the bridge, moving and jumping around in order to avoid a shot from the Sniper above. She decided to go through the main doors, as she wasn't quite comfortable going down into the sewer again.

The ran across an enemy Pyro, which Tracy jumped away from, just narrowly avoiding a blast of flames. Her Pyro charged forward, blowing the other back with a burst of air from their flamethrower and quickly finished them off with a fireaxe they had on hand. Thief stepped around the bloody corpse, refusing to even give it a glance. Above them she could hear many footsteps, a particularly heavy set that had to be heading down the stairs. She took the Pyro's hand a ran around a corner, narrowly avoiding a run-in with an enemy Heavy and Medic.

Running down an empty hall, Tracy spotted a small bottle of medicine just sitting on the floor. Back at her base they had the same kind, the Scout having taken an excessive amount the day before yesterday. She snatched it up and slipped it into her pocket, leading the Pyro up a small set of creaky wooden stairs.

"OI!" From behind, the Sniper from before yelled at them with a submachine gun in hand. He must have kept track of where they had headed and decided to follow. Tracy and Pyro just made it through the door down to the Intelligence Room when he began to fire. Pyro muffled something incomprehensible as Tracy took out her pistol and began firing pot shots, managing to hit the enemy in the shoulder from the cry of pain.

Pyro ran back, and from the sounds of things, set the Australian on fire. His screams of agony were horrifying, and she couldn't help but feel pity for the man. True, he had attacked them first, but she knew personally how painful it was.

As soon as the Pyro returned, they ran down the stairs, trying to make as little noise as possible. Tracy knew that the Engineer was probably set up down there, and while they could probably try the distraction technique again, she had a feeling he wouldn't be fooled by the same trick twice.

"Ahem. Gentleman?"

They whipped around, both with fingers on the trigger as they caught sight of the BLU Spy. He adjusted his collar, raising an eyebrow. Before he could say anything, she slapped him across the face and was both relieved and embarrassed he hadn't turned into the RED.

"Ah, sorry." She gave him an apologetic grin, rubbing the hand she had slapped him with prior. He gave her a deadpan expression.

"Well yes, I suppose that was necessary." He said that, but she was sure he didn't mean it. "Let me handle this, oui?"

"Knock yourself out." She gestured towards the two entrances to the Intelligence, and right before her eyes she saw him shapeshift from the BLU Spy into the enemy Pyro in a puff of smoke. Their Pyro giggled at the sight, clapping their hands. "Holy shit. I mean, I heard you could do that but... wow."

"Why thank you." It wasn't muffled, unlike the Pyro beside them. He hunched down slightly, "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Spy ran off, charging into the other room down the hall. She could hear the Engineer give a greeting before a cry of pain was heard. A sentry beeped, but was quickly followed up by hissing and electric sparks. Spy returned, out of his disguise with the briefcase in hand. The alert played over the intercom. He looked smug, rather proud of himself, although Thief couldn't really blame him.

"Shall we?" Spy gestured towards the incline, and they began their way up. Right as they were about to breach into the next room, an enemy Soldier burst through and quickly cut down the Spy. He died gagging on his own blood, a clean red slice across his throat. Tracy stepped back as Pyro grappled with the enemy. On the floor was the intelligence, which she got on her knees and crawled over, snatching the briefcase. She ran in the opposite direction, back down to the intelligence room in hopes she could make a loop around the enemies.

What she hadn't expected was a red uniform to crash into her. She groaned as she fell onto the floor, the briefcase clattering to a halt just a few inches away from her outstretched hands.

Just as she had managed to get on her hands and knees, a foot came down onto her back and forced her back onto the ground.

"Well well well..." A petulant and familiar voice sent chills down her spine. "What do we have here?"

Tracy whipped her head around so fast she was almost sure she got whiplash. At first she saw a pair of cream trousers, shiny brown suede shoes... a red turtleneck sweater...

A pair of wide, unblinking eyes gazed back at her. A sardonic smirk on their lips as their eyes met.

"Hmph, to be honest, I was expecting better." Their voice was so like her own, but higher pitched and derisive. "I mean, really? Running away from a fight? That's pretty pathetic, even for you."

Tracy growled, attempting to get back on her knees despite the weight on her back. The foot dug the heel into her spine, causing pain to shoot down her body.

"I mean, I get it. You're new. But I've only been here for what, a day? And I've already eliminated your Demoman and Sniper. You haven't even killed one person!" The RED Thief gave a long, high laugh, "All you've done is shot the Sniper and pushed the Engineer! I mean, REALLY?"

Tracy had enough of this, rolling from her back and grabbing onto the other's leg, pulling her to the ground. They were face to face now. The other Thief looked just like her in exception for her eyes, which were much darker, with a slight reddish tint. They had the same hair cut, although parted in the opposite direction with the same birthmarks and scars. They were twins, almost.

"If you're so great, why didn't you take the opportunity to kill me when you had the chance?" Tracy hissed, drawing her screwdriver from her back pocket, slamming the handle into her face. There was a dull crack, blood shooting from her nose. They grappled for dominance, a sudden rush of rage filling Tracy's body.

"Pfft, and miss out on the opportunity to piss you off? Never." Her twin bared her teeth in an illusion of a smile before headbutting the BLU with all her might. Tracy's vision swam for a moment, a bruise forming already on her forehead.

Before Tracy's vision could come back into focus, there was a gunshot and she felt a force push her back to the ground. She cried out, grasping at the bullet wound in her side. Blood was gushing from the wound at an alarming rate, her hand unable to staunch the flow as a puddle began to seep around her.

"Mph, you got me good." Tracy looked up to see the RED Thief snapping her nose back into place with one hand, the other holding the pistol that had given her the wound. "Not good enough though. Better luck next time."

Before Tracy could spit out a response, the last thing she saw before everything went black was her clone aiming.

* * *

They had lost.

RED had managed to grab their intelligence after destroying their defenses and torturing a few of her comrades. For the most part, her team was okay in exception to their bruised egos. Demoman drank even more heavily than usual, mumbling incoherently about the enemy Pyro and Soldier while stumbling away.

They had a quaint meal. Pyro was in no mood to make anything extravagant, as the self appointed cook of their team. It was meatloaf tonight, with baked potatoes and cream corn. Tracy didn't feel like eating at all, even ignoring the Soldier's complaints about her meager size portions on her plate that she only picked at.

Even though she had respawned without a problem, she swore she could still feel the bruise on her forehead and the gunshot in her side. She decided to force herself to eat, ignoring the small chatter at the table before scraping and washing her plate and silverware.

She had been walking down to her room when she was stopped by someone she had never expected.

The Heavy was a large, intimidating man. He was much smarter than he looked, and much stronger as well. Sure, he ate alot, but he was mostly muscle. He didn't talk much to anyone aside from the Medic. So his greetings was startling to say the least.

"Little man won't talk. Why?" He leaned down to look her in the eye. He had a surprisingly soft expression, almost bordering on pity.

At first, Tracy didn't know what to say. She didn't really know him well enough to gauge his reaction. He could make fun of her for all she knew. She hesitated, rubbing her side as she shifted from foot to foot like a child.

"I just... I ran into the RED Thief." She grimaced with the confession. The larger man nodded in understanding, bringing a hand to his chin with a look of thoughtfulness on his face.

"Come with me." He said this abruptly, walking away without even looking back to see if she would follow. She had a feeling most people obeyed him without thought, due to the threat of repercussions otherwise.

Following him, he lead her to what she assumed was a break room. She had never saw it before, as she did little exploration during her time there. It was pretty large and looked disused, with dust coating a lot of the shelves. There were many books and even a fire place in the center of the far wall. A plush couch was right next to it, with two end tables and a coffee table in the middle.

He sat down heavily on the couch, compressing most of the air out of the cushions. She sat right next to him as he took a glass bottle from one of the tables and poured her a shot while taking the entire bottle to himself.

"Drink. Ease your mind." He raised his glass to her before taking a gulp, not even wincing. She assumed it was vodka, although she couldn't read the label. Great, more alcohol to consume.

She went along with it anyways, shooting it down fast and wincing at the burn that traveled down her throat to her stomach. He laughed at her expression before looking back towards the fire.

After another drink or two, she was feeling a bit better. Tipsy, definitely, but better. The Heavy got her mind off her clone, regaling her with stories from his home in Russia, where they would hunt bears in the unforgiving snowy wasteland.

She eventually drifted off, a small smile on her lips, carried away by the deep voice of the Russian beside her.


	10. Chapter 10

She awoke on the couch she had fallen asleep on the night prior, her head pounding and the room dark. She had to fumble around in the pitch black, bumping into tables and shelves until she finally fumbled upon the door handle. She opened the door, flinching away from the sudden light as her eyes burned.

Unlike the usual days where everything was more or less quiet, the halls were bustling with people moving in and out of their rooms, talking feverishly to one another. A few brushed past her with their arms full of luggage.

"What the hell is going on?" She asked Scout as he began to run by with a suitcase in hand.

"We gotta go! The train's gonna leave in five minutes!" He practically shrieked, barely pausing to fill her in.

Well shit. Tracy ran to her room, finding a suitcase in her closet and shoved as much clothes and miscellaneous items as she could into it. She was starving, but there was no time to stick around and grab something to eat. It had taken her two minutes to pack, and she had no clue where the train station was.

She ran out just as the Sniper's camper van was pulling away. She groaned in defeat, the rest of the lot behind BLU completely empty.

As she was walking around 2fort, something caught her gaze. A red pickup truck was slowly making its way on the dirt road, slowing down when it came close to her. She recognized the man inside; it was the RED Engineer, rolling down his window. Tracy jogged up to his door, wondering what he was doing.

"Need a ride?" His tone was just as amiable as it had when they first met, which surprised her. She had expected some sort of grudge for when she pushed him, but he seemed happy to see her.

She broke out into a grin, "Yes! Oh thank god you came along. My team just left."

"Well, hop in." He pointed a thumb at the passenger seat and watched her go around. There was a little trouble where the Texan forgot about the door lock, but she eventually jumped in and strapped herself in the seat.

The truck was well kept if in exception for a couple of beer bottles and cigarette ashes on the floor. After a moment to allow her to get settled, he revved the engine and stepped on the gas, driving through the dirt road to the gravel one.

"To be honest, I didn't think you'd be happy to see me." Tracy admitted, putting her suitcase below the glove compartment, crossing her legs. "Y'know, after that match."

"I don't tend to keep grudges," He chuckled, "This is just a job, nothin' personal to ya."

"Well, thank you." She smiled, "Didn't really want to hurt ya, which is why I pushed you. Sorry about that."

"Yeah, I remember you sayin' something along those lines. Gotta admit, no one really gives mercy around here. Too afraid someone might stab ya in the back." RED Engineer stated as he turned onto the highway. There weren't many cars in exception for the few BLU and RED vehicles in the distance.

"I can relate." She grimaced at the memory of the RED Spy catching her by surprise.

"Spy?"

"Spy."

"Yeah, I've been on the receiving end of his knife, I tell ya. I think he tends to target me." Engineer grimaced as he leaned down to grab a bottle of beer. While Tracy would have been uncomfortable with anyone drinking while driving, she had this strange compulsion to trust him. He just seemed so... nice. And very smart considering his sentries, teleporters, and dispensers. He knew what he was doing, so she relaxed against the seat. "And them damn sappers he's got. Always breakin' my machines."

"Never seen those, but I've heard of them." Tracy replied as she stared out the window at the desert flying past them, tufts of dead grass and dirt spraying behind them.

"They overload my machines with electricity, and causes them to explode. I have to act fast or they're irrepairable." He seemed to get more and more frustrated the more he thought about it. Tracy frowned, looking over at him.

Time to change the subject. "Aside from work, what do you do? Like, in your spare time?"

He perked up at this, the grimace washing away and replaced with a small smile. "Ah, bit of this and that. Mostly tinker with my machines and draw up blueprints for new ones."

"Sounds interesting. I don't think I'd ever be able to do something like that." She chuckled.

"Aw, I'm certain you could learn a thing or two. It is hard work, lotta math involved, but I think anyone could do it." The Texan smiled at her, and she felt her cheeks burn at the undivided attention.

"Math? Haha, no way. I mean, I did well enough in school but I never enjoyed the subject." She snorted, turning away and rubbing her cheek to avoid him noticing. "Maybe not creating my own stuff, but maybe building things that have already been made? I dunno."

He seemed to notice her discomfort, shifting in his seat as they went around a turn. It was quiet for a moment, both of them thinking of what to say. Tracy was about to speak when he rummaged with one hand behind him to pull out a bottle of beer. He offered it to her, which she accepted. She never really liked beer, but she couldn't say no to him since he offered to kindly to give her a ride. She popped the cap and took a drink. It wasn't as harsh as Heavy's vodka or Demo's scrumpy, but to her it just tasted like flat and unpalatable soda. She didn't voice this opinion, thanking him and setting the bottle into the cup holder.

"How did you come along this kind of work anyways?" She almost regretted asking, having asked without thinking. The RED didn't seem bothered by it though, giving her a small smile while taking off his hardhat. He was shaved on the top, only a slight stubble on his head and chin. She still wondered about his eyes though.

He rubbed his head before plopping the hat back on, turning to her. "It's in the family. My father and grandfather worked for Redmond, so I guess I just went along as well. I mean, I had a choice, but engineering is hardwired into me. Can't say I would ever want to do anything different."

"That sounds nice. I didn't really have anything at home that I wanted to do." She thought over it for a second, "I mean, my mom's into advertising. Y'know, television ads, billboards. Never found it interesting in the slightest. My mom mentioned I could do graphic design..."

"Graphic design?" He questioned.

"Oh, design logos and product stuff. Like this beer label or the shape of the bottle." Tracy picked it up as an example. "Kinda like making blueprints for machines." She laughed, and he laughed along with her.

"So why didn't ya?"

"Well... my family isn't exactly well off. We're about lower middle class, and I didn't really excel in school. I didn't fail, but not anything close to getting a scholarship." She sighed, somewhat ashamed. "Plus, I kinda... well, I'm a thief. I would break into houses and stores and shit like that. I actually had a group that would help me."

"Oh? What happened to them?"

This was the part she hated. She hated talking about her old friends. She winced, turning away to look out the window. They were driving near the train tracks, but no train was in sight. A few birds flew overhead, the sky growing dark and pregnant with rain.

"Ya don't have to tell me if ya don't want to." His voice was soft and comforting, assuring her it was alright.

"Nah, it's okay." She shook her head, looking back to him with a downcast smile on her lips.

"I had a group of about four, not including me. I met them in school. Twins named Julie and James, and two boys named Zach and Victor. Met the twins in middle school but the other two in high school. The twins mainly did tech stuff, turning off cameras and security doors. They caught me pick-pocketing over the school security cameras and asked if I wanted to join them. The boys were just friends until they found out about me and the twins and asked to join. I tell ya, we were pretty bad. Stealing from families and stores. Even stole from a family during Christmas and snagged all the gifts under the tree."

Tracy paused to take a breath, the Engineer not replying but urged her to continue.

"I somehow became the leader, for whatever reason. I guess it was because I had a good idea of which houses to crash and how to steal things without getting caught. We became a gang almost, terrorizing half the town before we got caught."

This was the worst part. Pain washed over her as she replayed it in her mind.

"We got caught a couple times before, but usually it was just a slap on the wrist and community service. We were just kids at the time when we got those punishments, probably only fifteen or sixteen. It was about a few years ago when shit hit the fan. One of the others had the idea to hit a mall in the dead of night while most of the customers and employees were out or going onto break. I knew it was a terrible idea, but I thought if I came along I could stop them from doing anything stupid. We got out the doors when the cops arrived. Me and the twins gave up, but Zach had some anger issues and punched a police officer in the face. Victor, on the other hand, ran off. Don't think he ever got caught either."

"I was... a coward. I got a deal to get off on parole if I told on the others. I couldn't stand the thought of going to jail. Julie and James stayed about a month in prison while Zach got a couple years for assaulting a police officer. Never saw Victor again."

She stared down at her feet, shifting uncomfortably. Her chest hurt, and she almost felt like she was going to start bawling. She had never really talked about it to anyone besides her mom. Most people avoided conversation with her due to what she did.

The RED Engineer stayed silent, eyes trained on the road. Tracy knew she must have messed up their friendship bad. He was too nice of a guy to look past what she'd done.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm a piece of shit." She weaved her fingers together, holding them in her lap.

"No, no." He waved that away, "I don't think less of ya. You know you've done wrong and you did your piece."

She shook her head, turning away to look out the window. To her surprise, they went onto the curb and the Engineer stopped the truck. He turned to look at her as rain began to patter and eventually pour down on their vehicle.

"C'mon now, look at me."

She refused, pressing her hands together so tightly it hurt. He took her hands in his, forcing her to turn around and look at him. His smile was so warm, so friendly and nonjudgmental. Her heart pounded in her chest.

"Like I said, I don't hold grudges." He pried her hands apart, rubbing the middle of her palm with both hands. "You did something bad, true. But you do know right from wrong. You know you've done wrong, and you feel terrible about it."

She nodded, her eyes growing red with suppressed tears. She didn't want to cry in front of him, biting her lower lip.

"Now you need to learn to forgive yerself. You can't keep beating yourself up for something that happened years ago." He took both of her hands in one of his, dwarfing them as he took his free hand to cup her chin. "You understand? No more feeling rotten over old wrongs. Ya just gotta learn from it and move on."

A tear escaped her eye and that was it, Tracy was crying. She felt so ashamed and embarrassed, trying to pull away from his grip but he refused. The Texan simply comforted her, unbuckling her belt to pull her forward into a hug. She returned it, unable to think as she felt a heavy burden lift from her shoulders.

It was about five minutes before she finally calmed down, resting her head on his shoulder.

"God, I am a sissy." She chuckled, her throat raspy from the tears.

He joined her laugh, rubbing her back in small circles. "Naw, I ain't afraid of tears. Silly to try and hold it in all the time, even if others think it makes ya weak."

Tracy gently pulled away, a wry smile on her lips while wiping the tracks of wetness on her cheeks. She had to look horrible, her face all red from the outburst, hair uncombed from the chaos the morning earlier. But he still smiled at her.

"Ready to hit the road again?" Engineer asked, turning the key.

She nodded, "Let's get this show on the road."

They drove off just as the rain let up, a ray of sunlight escaping the curtain of clouds.


	11. Chapter 11

She must have fallen asleep before night had fallen. It was earlier morning, judging by the sun. What had been rain before had turned into snow, transforming the land into a snow barren wasteland. Ahead was a set of mountains ahead of them as they drove through the rock terrain.

"Good morning, sunshine." The RED Engineer greeted Tracy with a smile, noticing that she was finally awake. "Hope ya slept well."

"Oh shit, I'm sorry. You probably drove the whole way, didn't you?" She felt a little guilty, remembering what had happened the day before. The confession, the crying, his comforting her. Her face went red in embarrassment, not sure how to hold herself.

"Don't worry about it." The Texan waved her worries away with his free hand, the other on the steering wheel. "Didn't wanna wake ya. Figured you were tuckered out from crying so much."

If her face could have gotten redder, it would have.

There was a comfortable pause while Tracy studied the area. They were just breaching a hill when she saw buildings in the distance. The sun was peeking out from behind a mountain, just barely visible with clouds blocking its rays.

"Where are we going, anyways? No one could spare the time to tell me." Tracy asked. With all the commotion, she had been too distracted to ask.

"The place's called Coldfront. Since we ended on a tie, the Administrator thought it best to move us from capturing intelligence to capturing territory. Sort of a punishment, considering this place gets down to freezing temperatures often." He gave a slight shiver, and Tracy just then noticed it was getting a little nippy in the truck. Engineer turned a knob on his dash, the heat kicking on higher. "Been here before. Make sure to dress warmly before the matches or you might just get frostbite or worse."

She nodded, and then something occurred to her. "Wait, what's our teams gonna think when you drive up there with me?"

"They won't. If you don't mind, and I hate doin' this, but I was going to drop you off about a mile before your base. I'll make sure you're on the right path, and I'll wait back for about fifteen minutes before I drive up myself." He frowned a this, obviously not enjoying the idea.

"It's alright, I understand." She gave him a comforting smile, patting his shoulder. "You've done enough for me so far, only fair that you don't get caught for uh... aiding an enemy."

"Thank you." The RED smiled at her, and for a couple minutes they just drove in silence. Tracy was gathering some clothes for the trip from her suitcase. She didn't have a scarf, but she did have a winter jacket from her closet back at 2fort, and a pair of rubber boots. She layered on the socks and zipped up her old purple hoodie before slipping the jacket and boots on. Just as she was done, the Engineer pulled over.

"Awright, this should be close enough." Indeed it was. She could see her base from how close they were.

"Yup. Thank you." She opened the door, hopping out with her suitcase in hand. Just before she slammed the door shut, she looked back at him and smile, "For everything."

He nodded, giving her a little wave as she shut the door and began a light jog towards her base. The snow was thick and fluffy, and she slipped a couple times on the rocks and ice underfoot. It was cold as hell, like everything had frozen over. Using her free arm, she hugged herself close to try and retain some heat. Thank god the base was close, or she would have frozen out here.

Tracy entered a door, relieved it was unlocked and entered a pentagon like set of halls, walking briskly. It wasn't as cold in there, which she was greatly thankful for. She kept wandering through the halls, not exactly sure where the rest of her team was. Was she that late that there was already a match going on? No, it couldn't be. The rest of her team may have arrived earlier than she did, but probably only the night before.

Her stomach growled loudly, complaining about the lack of food. She hadn't ate the day before, and now it was coming back to bite her in the ass. Sighing, Tracy wandered for a little while, checking through doors and hallways for any signs of life. It felt like hours before she finally came across a door she hadn't opened yet. It was locked from the inside, so she banged on it, hoping to get an answer.

When she heard noise from behind it, she stopped and took a step back. The BLU Spy greeted her, looking her up and down before nodding. "Ah, it's a pleasure that you finally joined us. A little late, are you not?"

He was still in a suit, but different from his previous one. This one had a thick padded jacket that somehow didn't take away from his slim and tall form, with black fur trim that had to be real. Fur boots and similarly thick pants, he looked far warmer than she felt.

"Yeah, I uh.." She quickly came up with a lie, "I had to catch the next train, since no one woke me up."

"Well, at least you arrived before the next match." He didn't show any signs of seeing through her lie, so she let out a sigh of relief before following the Frenchman inside. It wasn't extremely warm inside, but it was toasty in comparison. They made their way down the stairs, entering a similar common room like the one from 2fort. The kitchen was just large enough to allow each mercenary a seat in the kitchen and for one to be preparing the meals. The living area had a small television set and a fireplace in the corner. The rooms seemed to be made small in order to contain the heat. Even the hallways were cramped, just large enough for two mercs (one, if you're the Heavy) to squeeze past each other.

Most of the mercs were piled around in the living area, shuffled close to the fire. Most actually looked to be in good spirits, passing around drinks and eating a warm meal probably prepared by the Pyro. Some looked up at her, yelling their greetings and shoving a cup of cocoa in her hands. From one sniff, she could tell there was some sort of booze in it. She took a gulp anyways, feeling the warmth flow through her limbs once more.

"Finally got here huh?" The Scout was throwing his ball up, sometimes throwing it against a wall to catch it once more, "I was wonderin' if you were coming at all."

"Hah, yeah." It just came to mind to her that she could have just ran away when she had the chance. But immediately she realized that someone would have just brought her back or been sent to execute her. A shiver went up her spine.

"Chilly?" He threw a blanket at her, noticing her sudden chill. She nodded anyways, stripping off her winter jacket and pulling the blanket around her back.

"So when's the next match?" Tracy took a sip of her cocoa.

"In the next day or two." The Bostonian shrugged his shoulders. He looked to also be in winterized gear. Gone were the knee-high pants and t-shirt, swapped for thick sweatpants and a blue sweater. He wore fingerless gloves and a woolen cap instead of his black baseball number, but still had that yellow headset. "I hate running around here. I always fuckin' slip on somethin'. I ordered some cleats so hopefully it gets here soon."

Tracy nodded, turning to look over the rest of her team. The Heavy, Medic, and surprisingly the Demoman and Soldier were all sitting together. Heavy was red in the face, either from cold or drink. Even the doctor, who usually abstained from alcohol from what she assumed, was a little pink and was laughing at something the Demoman had said. Beside their group was the Engineer and Pyro. They didn't really look to be talking, rather just enjoying each other's company. Pyro was staring particularly hard at the flames in the fireplace.

From around the corner came the Sniper, looking irritated with his face bright red from the cold. He hadn't changed his attire much aside from a thick winter coat and gloves. He took the gloves off with his teeth, flopping into a plush leather chair with a grumble.

"Yo, what's up?" Scout turned to the Australian.

"Can't stay in my damn van. Heater ain't runnin' right." Sniper grumbled, crossing his arms. "Guess I'll have to stay in the damn bunks we got."

"Or, you know-" Tracy began, but was interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah. Could ask the truckie." An almost physically pained expression crossed his face. Tracy got the impression he didn't want to ask for help, or his pride might be bruised. She rolled her eyes at him, taking another drink of cocoa.

They stayed like that for awhile, just basking in the heat of the fireplace. Tracy reclined on the couch, making enough room for the Scout to sit down as well. It had to be near noon when the Soldier stood up from his seat on the floor. He might have been drinking, but Tracy couldn't tell since he was always a little crazy.

"Alright ladies, time to assign bunks." He announced. Most groaned at this, too tired from the move or drunk to want to get up and start unpacking. Tracy got up first and grabbed her trunk, along with the Engineer and Pyro as the Soldier let the way down a flight of stairs. It wasn't as warm down here, but she could hear the hum of heaters kicking on.

There were five rooms in all, and Tracy was suddenly concerned that she'd have to bunk with someone. She had counted herself lucky that Miss Pauling had assigned her a room without a roommate, but now she had another problem.

"Sniper and Engineer, this one's yours. Medic and Scout, this one. Heavy and Demoman get this one." Soldier directed them towards their rooms. A few grumbled about their roommates, but otherwise didn't argue. "Spy, you're with me in this room. And you two!"

The last remaining was herself and the Pyro, who didn't react to the shouting.

"You get this one. Start unpacking! Training will start in fifteen minutes, so move your asses!" The Soldier yelled at them all, not exactly meeting the Thief's eyes.

Tracy and Pyro went into their room. It was cramped, with a bunk-bed and two dresser drawers. A small table with two chairs and a closet. No bathroom in sight. Tracy took one of the dressers and began unloading her things, trying to hide them from the sight of the Pyro.

Pyro didn't have many clothes, from her observation. Some shirts and pants, although she had never seen the Pyro out of their suit. They seemed to have a couple sets of flame retardant suits and spare masks though, stuffing the suits into the closet alongside some boots.

Tracy dumped her suitcase next to the door just as the pyromaniac had, turning to them and then the bunk. The Pyro was taller than her by nearly a foot, and seemed hefty than her due to the suit. Tracy was about five foot and an inch, by far the shortest out of the mercs. She hadn't heard any remarks about it, but assumed someone would make a joke eventually.

"Uh... can I have the top bunk?" She asked.

Pyro nodded, flopping down at the bottom. Tracy breathed a sigh of relief, having been worried she'd have to argue. Pyro seemed like a cheerful person, probably the happiest out of all of them. She even heard them giggle from time to time on the battlefield. Almost childlike, but it didn't bother her as long as they weren't a brat like one.

Tracy tested out her bunk. The blankets were much thicker than the ones she had at 2fort, and the pillow much fluffier as well. She felt like falling asleep in all honesty, the cold from earlier and her cocoa having made her drowsy. But she knew that the Soldier was bound to bust down the door at any minute, so she forced herself up.

She felt grimy, having not taken a shower for a couple days at least. Drinks with Heavy and the drive to Coldfront hadn't left any time for her to think about it. But there was no way she was going to take a shower and just get all sweaty afterwards. Combing her hair away from her face, she decided to just take one after.

She met the Soldier outside, who seemed pleased by her early arrival. No one else had crawled out of their rooms yet, although Tracy couldn't really blame them. Five minutes passed until the Soldier eventually began banging on doors and yelling for them to all march out and line up. The last few to give in was the Spy and Sniper, who had to be dragged out by their collars.

"Alright men, start jogging. You're lucky we have a recreation center or you'd be doing laps in the snow!" The All-American laughed at his own joke before beginning to jog around the corner. Reluctantly, everyone followed the militant, even the Scout who seemed less than enthused by the thought of running.

The rec center was a large spacious area with wooden flooring and fluorescent lights overhead, with heaters lining the walls. There was a basketball area and a few pull up bars and weight lifting areas as well, and what Tracy assumed was the showers in door to the right.

As they trained, Tracy noticed the Soldier not really commenting on her skill, or lack thereof. She assumed it was due to the last bout of training they had, and he didn't want to push her too hard like the time before. Despite this, she pushed herself as hard as she could. To the Soldier's credit, she could do the pull up bar without as much problem as before, although she could only manage about twenty-five before she needed a break.

People like the Heavy, Soldier, and Demoman had no trouble with weight lifting. Medic wasn't too shabby either, but he wasn't built for lifting as much as he was built for running from merc to merc acting as babysitter. Scout was probably the worst, having little muscle aside from his legs. Soldier zeroed in on him, growling that he was pathetic as Scout barely managed a seventy-five pound barbell.

While Tracy felt bad for him, she didn't want to have the attention set on her as she managed an eighty pound barbell with ease. While she had never been good at lifting herself, she had been surprisingly good at carrying heavy loads even before her training. Lifting things were something required when being a thief. When she had to climb up, she mainly just stacked things up and climbed on top of them to get where she wanted, or had just jumped on someone's shoulders.

The thought of her old gang hurt a little, but not as much as it had. Talking with the RED Engineer had honestly helped a lot rid her of that old guilt.

"C'mon maggot, what's wrong with you? Huh, baby gonna cry?" The sound of the scratchy voice brought her out of her revere, turning to see the Scout with his face twisted in a grimace and his cheeks red with the effort. Tracy sighed, dropping the weight and sending a booming noise throughout the room. Everyone turned to look at her, but she ignored this and stepped over to the Scout, crouching down to his level.

"Lift with your legs, not your back. You'll fuck up your back if you do it that way. You can also brace the barbell with your shoulders, if you want, and once you're standing lift it above your head." She explained, putting a hand on his side as she helped him lift it. When it finally got onto his shoulders, he stood up only slightly crouched over and lifted it just above his head before throwing it to the ground and just barely missing the Soldier's feet.

"Thanks." Scout gave her a small smile, while the Solder in front of them seemed a little miffed. Tracy was suddenly concerned he'd turn on her, but only quietly told the Scout to continue the exercise as directed. Tracy returned to her own, lifting the weight back up and doing a few curls. She smiled a little, but was also somewhat concerned.

What was the Soldier going to do about that? She had this feeling the Soldier didn't regularly get interrupted, and wondered if there was going to be any consequences.


	12. Chapter 12

Soldier was looking at her funny.

Tracy wasn't quite sure what to make of it. He didn't look angry, but rather confused and unsure whenever he even so much as glanced in her direction.

She tried to put it out of her mind. They were gearing up for the next match. Guns were being loaded, knives and shovels cleaned and shined to perfection. Tracy was lounging on one of the benches, talking to the Medic as he spun his syringe gun.

"As for the hearts, those are used to uber someone. It makes their skin almost impenetrable to any attack. Bullets, rockets, knives... nothing can defeat one that is ubered. Although, I have had trouble once or twice with the uber not effecting me as well." The German looked puzzled and irritated, frowning at the medigun at his side.

"Any ideas what could mess it up?" She asked.

"Ah, perhaps a technical bug. I will have to speak to the Engineer about it. If the uber does not hit me, someone could attack me from behind and stop the uber." He nodded in thought as the intercom boomed to life.

**"Mission begins in sixty seconds."**

"Ah, I must begin charging. If you'll excuse me." The Medic stood from his seat beside her and took his place by the Heavy, releasing a beam onto the bigger man.

All of the classes were clothed in winter gear, if in exception for the Pyro who only had a fuzzy winter cap on their head. Tracy was in similar garb, since she didn't have much in the winterized gear department. She had been offered a thicker jacket by the Medic, one of his spares since he noticed her's was much thinner. Even the Scout gave her some fingerless gloves, since she had complained she couldn't get a good grip on anything with regular mittens.

As the announcer began to count down, Tracy stood from her seat and walked over to the sliding door. Even with the doors closed, she could still feel the cold air seeping from the doors. The Soldier took a step to stand beside her, not looking at her. Tracy raised an eyebrow but said nothing, slightly unnerved by his lack of talkativeness.

**"ONE! BEGIN!"**

Everyone charged out of the respawn, the cold hitting like a brick wall. Instantly Tracy shuddered, goosebumps rising on her flesh as she followed the others.

Their main objective was to capture territory or "points," which were glowing areas they had to defend. The middle one had not been claimed yet. As she followed, she saw their Engineer beginning to build a sentry at their second point, shivering with his face slightly pink.

The Soldier had blasted himself into the air in order to get ahead despite his slow speed. Running past a few rises, she could already see a RED Scout standing on the point with a Demoman fast approaching. The BLU Heavy mowed the Scout down quickly as the Demoman shot sticky bombs and retreated back, detonating the bombs and causing the Medic and Heavy to be forcefully lifted into the air.

Not knowing what else to do, Tracy joined them on the point and helped them capture while the BLU Scout ran ahead. Snow kicked up in his wake, almost slipping on a patch of ice. He growled out a curse before continuing on his way.

When the point was finally captured, the grey light turned blue and the intercom announced their win. Their Engineer ran up, depositing his sentry in a place that would not be easily seen.

"Poot dispenser here!" Heavy pointed to the ground, as the Medic was a little battered and bruised from the explosion just a few minutes ago. The Engineer growled but did as he was commanded, dumping a toolbox on the ground and got to work.

"Thanks." Tracy whispered to him, giving him a small grateful smile as the bruises from Medic's face and body receeded. Engineer nodded just as the sentry beeped and shot down an enemy spy.

"Let's move it up, fellas." The Texan pointed ahead as their Demoman rushed forward. The group nodded and continued up, trying to avoid ice and rocks.

"MEDIC!" It was the Scout, running away from a firefight. He had multiple gunshot wounds to his arms and chest, bleeding profusely. The Medic at once trained his medigun on him, healing the wounds.

"Thanks doc." The Bostonian winked before charging out once more.

Ahead, the REDs had gathered around the entrance to their second control point. The RED Medic was healing the Heavy as the BLU Soldier kept sending rockets their way. A crack of a gunshot was heard overhead as their RED Medic went down with a bullet in his brains.

"Nice shot!" Tracy called up.

The enemy began to retreat somewhat, due to their Medic being dead. Their demoman began firing grenades down one of their halls, blood splattering as someone had been unlucky enough to get too close.

"Push forward!" The Scotsman yelled, running inside and out of her view.

Just as their group was about to move forward, an enemy Soldier came in from an adjacent hall and began firing upon them. The Heavy was caught in the wake and was blasted to kingdom come. Tracy had backed up just enough as the Medic was too blown to pieces. The blast threw the thief to the ground, smacking her head against a particularly sharp rock.

She didn't go unconscious, but she couldn't find it in herself to get up. The snow was red from spilt blood, although Tracy didn't really know if it was her own or her comrade's. She heard footsteps, and closed her eyes, pretending to be dead.

"Good job there." A voice. The RED Thief! Tracy resisted the urge to get up and kill her, as she must have been talking to someone else.

"Thanks soldier." A scratchy and commanding voice replied, obviously pleased with themselves.

"Ah, I see we managed to push them back for a moment." A german voice. The RED Medic.

"Yeah. Look at this one." A resounding kick sent Tracy rolling to the side. It took all her willpower to not scream in agony or move, and simply flopped over. The pain was unbearable, the RED must have put all their force into the kick. "Must have died when they hit the ground."

"Hmmm..." The RED Medic mumbled to himself.

"What?"

"I was just thinking... that body is very well intact."

Tracy's body went stiff, fearing the worst.

"Perhaps I can keep the body? I do need more parts. Always running low when I want to do some more delicate experiments, and having a near fresh one would be perfect."

"All your's doc."

What to do? Tracy couldn't move out of fear as someone picked her up and slung her limp body over their shoulder. She opened her eyes just a crack, thanking god she hadn't trimmed her hair as it was just long enough to keep her eyes unnoticed.

She was being carried into the RED base, blood dripping from the slice on her forehead. She watched as the blood left a clear direction of where they were taking her.

What was she going to do? She still had her screwdriver and smoke bombs, but her shotgun and pistol had flew when the explosion had knocked her off her feet. She thanked god that the Medic had given her the jacket, since it hid her when she dared to breath.

It didn't take long. They entered a set of double doors and she was thrown to the ground. At this point, she couldn't help but moan in pain as her head greeted the floor.

"Ooh, this one's still alive!"

Tracy looked up, her vision spotty and dark as the Medic came into view. He looked just like her own, in exception to the RED uniform and a particularly nasty smile. He rubbed his chin as he looked at her, his gaze hungry and clinical.

"Should I put him down?" The RED Soldier approached, ratcheting his shotgun.

"Oh, no no no!" The german waved him away, "This is so much better! I rarely have living specimens!"

"Well, do whatever you want doc." The RED Thief grunted, stepping from behind the Soldier to get a better look at the BLU. "I don't care and I don't think her team will miss her presence either."

Tracy could feel warm, sticky blood flowing down her face, blinding her right eye. She got to her knees, trying to wipe away the blood. She felt faint, her body growing weak.

"If you want me so bad..." Her voice was rough and strained, lips chapped and aching. "You should probably do somethin' about the leak I sprung."

Her chuckle was dry, and was only joined in by the Medic. "As yes, I can't have you die on me just yet."

Grabbing her upper arm, the RED doctor dragged her weak body over to an operation table. She was forced to lay down, her hands bound down with rope behind her back in such a way that hurt. A medigun was switched on and was trained on her at the lowest setting, healing the wound on her forehead and replenishing the blood.

Tracy's vision cleared, blinking furiously. The blood from her old wound had dried on her face, becoming irritating quickly.

"Don't you guys have a match to win?" She grunted, trying to find a comfortable position and hiding her fear with a nonplussed attitude.

"Ah yes! Almost forgot." The RED Medic coughed into his fist, tying her legs down to the operation table. He clicked his tongue, tying it tightly enough to stop the bloodflow. Once he was satisified she wasn't going anywhere, he took his medigun and followed the Soldier out of the room.

Just as Tracy thought she was alone, the RED Thief approached her side.

"Well, this is much better. I think I'll join the Medic once he wants to work on you." She chuckled, dragging a metal table over with scalpels and forceps. The BLU flinched away at the sight, glancing from the RED to the operating equipment.

"I don't think he'd appreciate you getting started just yet." Tracy grunted, her throat closing as fear began to overwhelm her. Her heart pounded in her chest, adrenaline pumping through her veins as she began to struggle against her bonds.

"Oh, he wouldn't." The RED giggled threateningly, taking a scalpel from the table. "But I don't think he'd be too mad if I just... roughed you up a bit."

Without hesitation or warning, the Thief slammed the blade into her kneecap. Her patella gave a loud crunch, and pain soared through Tracy's body. She shook violently, twisting and turning without thought as the RED dug the blade in even further. Pleased with herself, she left the blade in and took a step back.

"That will at least keep you from running away, even if you somehow managed to get outta those ropes." Her smile was malicious and sadistic, staring Tracy directly in the eyes, witnessing her agony with pleasure.

A sob escaped her throat, unable to block out the pain. She eventually settled down, trying to remain as still as possible as to not aggravate the wound further. Blood was staining her trousers, but not bleeding profusely.

"I'll get you for this, you fucking soulless piece of shit." Anger bubbled to the surface, unable to keep her emotions in check. "I swear to god, I'll kill you."

"And?" The amusement was not lost on Tracy.

Instead of a witty response, all she did was scream in hatred, balling up her fists behind her. All she received was laughter, which only furthered her rage more. She sat up, trying to rip herself out of the bonds to no avail.

"Oh, shut up. It's not like it will do you any good." The enemy Thief dragged her bangs away from her eyes, suddenly unamused.

Tracy screamed until she could scream no more, her voice going down to a whisper. Her throat hurt from the yelling and shouting, her lips dry and almost bleeding from the outburst. She licked her lips, wincing at the stinging sensation. The pain in her leg had gone down to a burning feeling rather than uncontrollable agony.

There was a long pause. Tracy refused to look at the RED, just staring up at the darkly lit ceiling. It seemed the RED doctor also had a pet, but the bird seemed hesitant to approach her due to her screaming. It was not as well kept as the BLU Medic's ward, as there was blood stained rags everywhere.

"You know..."

Tracy whipped around, muscles tensing up as the RED Thief spoke.

"I have all your memories. Well, my memories. Ours. Tracy's."

The enemy was hesitant to approach her now, all the sadism and hatred gone from her eyes. She was far enough away that Tracy could just barely see her in the shadows.

"I remember being captured. I remember our mother, our friends. I remember what we did and why we did it, and every single feeling and want that you do."

She suddenly marched forward with extremely prejudice, her eyes were now determined.

"I want it back. I want to be the only one. But I can't be the only one if both of us keeps coming back. And even I, even if I am the last one, I can never be Tracy. Not any more."

The other Tracy's body shook, from nerves... or something else. The BLU couldn't make out the emotion the other was feeling, but she knew it had to be strong.

"Miss Pauling told me I only had a year. I had to go around with these assholes and kill other assholes and then I'd be free. But I'll never be free, because I am not her. I am not Tracy."

She turned her gaze to the floor, and what Tracy could identify as a tear went down her cheek and dropped to the ground soundlessly.

"But you. You are more like her. You have her feelings, more of them. When I was made... I was twisted. I'm not like her anymore. I remember everything, remember the feelings and thoughts, but I... I don't understand them anymore. But you do."

She frowned, the other Tracy stepping away.

"When this is all over, and the dust settles... when we are both free to leave..."

Tracy watched as her other stepped into the darkness, too far into the shadows to see.

"I want you to kill me."


	13. Chapter 13

Tracy woke up in a dark room. It was cold, cold enough that her fingers felt numb and her cheeks turned ruby red. It was a little while before she could remember how she got there.

The RED Medic had came back from the battle, his hair ruffled and his expression gleeful and near maniacal. He hadn't said much, only mentioning that RED had won the mission. Last thing she could remember before waking up in the room was him approaching with a syringe full of some mysterious liquid.

The room was mostly bare, with a single light dangling from the ceiling. It was quiet, and the door had to be locked. Near the door had been set a piece of bread and a bottle of water. Her stomach growled and she dragged herself over. All at once the pain from the scalpel returned, and she had to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming.

Turning to her wound, Tracy studied her knee. The scalpel had been removed and it had been bandaged, but not much else had been done to treat it. Burning and stinging traveled up her thigh, making her dizzy.

She scarfed down the breath and the water, and from the small window high above she assumed it had to be the early morning.

She lied down on the cold concrete, hugging herself to try and stay warm. Eventually, after what had to have been a few hours, she heard noises behind the door.

The door opened with a screech, and someone stepped in. The RED Scout, with a look of boredom on his face as he looked over her. He was strangely quiet, carrying a small plate. It looked to be burnt toast, and he carried no water with him.

"Here's yer food pal." He nearly dropped the plate on the floor and snatched the other plate, barely glancing at her.

Just as he was about to leave, she raised a hand, "Wait!"

The Scout barely turned, not quite meeting her eyes. Tracy wasn't sure about him. He didn't seem quite as brash or energetic as her teams Scout. In fact, he almost seemed... regretful? Doubtful, but she could hope.

"What the hell is going on? What are you gonna do to me?" She growled. Tracy sat up a bit, wincing at the pain in caused to her leg.

Scout shrugged, "Dunno. Doc never talks to me about anything."

"C'mon man! You can't do this to me!" She was yelling at this point as the Scout turned and left, leaving her in the room alone once more. Tracy was tired, breathing deeply in and out through her nose to try and calm herself. Her teammates had to know she was gone, right? They wouldn't have respawned her... right?

She left the plate of burnt toast where it was sat. It must have been a failed attempt at breakfast by one of the REDs and they decided to give it to her like someone would a dog.

Tracy got bored fast. There was nothing to do but stew in hatred and worry about what the doctor would do to her. Still, she could feel her screwdriver digging into her ass and the smoke bombs were in her front pocket. They must have forgotten to pat her down before bringing her in, and thanked god for that small mercy.

Time stretched on for hours. The room darkened as the sun began to set, or had it been blocked out by clouds or the mountains? She couldn't tell as she stared up through the window, watching snow pepper down.

The pain in her leg had dulled a bit. It still stung now and again, and just then Tracy began to worry about infection. She hadn't checked the wound, and in all honesty didn't want to know. She doubted the RED Medic would care enough to sterilize it, but at this point doubted she'd make it out of their base alive.

Eventually Tracy's stomach began to complain and she sucked up her pride and ate the toast, finishing off the last of her water just as another person came through the door.

In entered the RED Engineer. Tracy was mildly surprised but not totally shocked. He didn't carry a plate with him, which did not bode well. His expression wasn't any better, almost nervous and depressed as he took one look at her and cringed.

"I'm sorry about this." His voice was barely a whisper. "I didn't know until a couple of minutes ago. Medic wants you down in his lab."

"Oh boy, I can't wait." She snarled, unable to keep her emotions in check. Tracy bit back her tone, "I know, it's alright. Not your fault."

This didn't seem to comfort him very much, gesturing to her leg.

"Can ya walk?"

"I wouldn't want to find out." Regardless, she still tried to get to her feet. Bracing a hand against the wall of her prison, she managed to get on her uninjured leg but couldn't put any weight on the other. When she tried, pain erupted in front of her eyes and she almost toppled over when the Texan caught her. He took her shoulder, helping her to her feet. Dark spots covered Tracy's vision as she followed the Engineer out.

Walking was a chore. She used the RED as a crutch, trying her best to keep her injured leg from dragging behind her. As they walked, the Engineer drew his face closer to hers and began whispering.

"I can't stand this." He grunted out.

She chuckled dryly. "Join the club."

"I think..." He paused for a moment. "I think I can get ya out of here."

Tracy whipped her head around in surprise. "Now yer just getting ballsy. I don't want you to get killed or fired because you helped an enemy."

"Now calm down. This is my decision and I want to help ya. I won't stand idly by and let an innocent person get tortured." RED Engineer's face twisted in disgust, his mind lingering a moment on her injury before continuing. "Don't think I can talk the doc out of experimentin' on you. But if we happened to... incapacitate him for a lil while, I think I can sneak you out."

"Yeah, because killing the Medic would be so discreet."

"I'm not talkin' about killin' him, just knocking him out for a few hours. He has plenty of drugs back there that we can use, or just good old fashion violence." He chuckled and shook his head.

"Awright, but if things get hairy, promise to shoot me and spare yourself." Tracy's voice went down an octave, not liking the picture, but she hated the image of the Engineer getting killed over trying to help her.

He didn't respond to that request. They went down hallway after hallway. Stairs were particularly a bitch, but Tracy didn't really focus on it. The impending doom that lingered over her was enough to block out the pain.

Finally, they approached a set of double doors that had to be the medical ward. The Engineer nodded, and Tracy nodded back. She was ready to get this over with, whatever happened.

The RED Medic had been waiting for them to arrive, with his supplies and instruments pulled to the side of an operation table. He smiled with esctatic expression on his face, excited to proceed.

"Nice of you to join me." The German doctor quipped, patting his operation table. The Engineer practically dropped her onto the table without any fanfair, trying to act as if he didn't care at all. To be honest, Tracy almost assumed everything before was just an act.

They maneuvered her onto the table, the doctor kindly asking his comrade to secure her down. As the RED Medic turned, the Engineer strapped her on as loosely as possible, giving her a small smile. She didn't return the smile, thankfully just as the doctor returned.

"Hmm, I am not sure where to start! I'd like to examine their heart, see what the BLU Medic has done. Perhaps he has a different prototype? Seeing it in action would be great. Removing it would be just as well." The RED doctor tapped his chin, leaning down to rustling through a bag on the lower table. Engineer walked around the table, leaning down to his level.

"Whatcha lookin' for?"

"Ach, my rib splitter. I cannot seem to find it..."

"Lemme give you a hand, sawbones."

SCRUNCH.

Tracy didn't see what happened, but the RED Engineer stood with a wrench in hand. He didn't seem all that happy, with blood staining his wrench.

"I mighta hit him a tad harder than I wanted, but I don't think he's dead." He reached over onto one of the supply tables, taking a syringe. "Dunno what this does, hopefully keeps him out long enough to get you out as well."

After a couple minutes of injecting the doctor and dragging him from his place on the floor into one of the back rooms, the Engineer helped Tracy unstrap herself.

"I know it's embarrassin', but I'd think it simpler to carry ya." He adjusted his hard hat, smiling sheepishly as he put his arms out. Tracy's face lit up like a flame, but allowed him to pick her up. It certainly wasn't as painful as dragging her had been.

The Engineer picked up the pace as he lugged her from the ward down a couple of halls. He told her that he wasn't quite familiar with the layout of the building, but knew there was an escape route out one of the sides. Just as they were about to go up a flight of stairs, an alarm blared.

"BLU INVASION! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"

Tracy perked up, the Engineer gritting his teeth but nodding. "Seems like yer lucky day."

She couldn't believe it. Why were they attacking when it wasn't a match? Perhaps they knew the REDs had taken her? She could only hope. She knew that the REDs were much more violent than the BLUs, who were more into strategy and thinking than brute force. Although it seemed the RED Engineer, rather than violent, his red uniform exuded the feeling of warmth and friendliness. Perhaps it was just her that sensed these differences.

Just as they were about to turn a corner, a barrage of REDs came bursting out a set of doors. The Engineer hid behind a crate as they passed, letting out a sigh of relief they had not been seen. Explosions rocked the building, shouts and screams going through the halls in a cacophony.

They ran up after the REDs, considering it was the only way to get to the surface. It seemed most REDs had been taken down in exception to one of the Heavys, who was holding the BLUs back with a spray from his minigun. Tracy whispered to the Engineer to get her closer, grabbing her screwdriver from her pocket.

When they got right behind him, Tracy nearly leapt out of the Texan's arms and stabbed the minigun toting man in the jugular, a spray of blood coating her hand and arm. He gargled and choked on his own blood, quickly collapsing to the ground. Pain soared through her body, but it mostly dampened by the adrenaline pumping through her.

Just as the RED Engineer picked her up again, stomping was heard and Tracy caught sight of the BLU Soldier. He gasped in surprise at the display, marching towards the pair. He glanced from the Heavy to the two, his expression confused yet pleased.

"Glad to see you're in good health, private." He nodded, smiling at her.

"Not quite." The Engineer spoke up, maneuvering her slightly to expose her wound. The Soldier quickly grew mad, almost appearing ready to tackle the enemy just as Tracy spoke up.

"Try not to kill him. He did help me escape, y'know." Her voice was strained, the adrenaline rush fading as quickly as it had hit.

The Soldier quickly regained himself, appearing sheepish. "Yeah..."

"Little man is okay!" The BLU Heavy peeked around a corner before walking up, Medic at his back.

"Yeah, but can we celebrate back at base? Engineer can't keep carryin' me and the REDs are sure to come back." She smiled at the larger man's enthusiasm, happy to see that they actually cared about her disappearance.

The BLU Soldier nodded, "Alright, get over here cupcake." He forcefully took her from the RED Engineer's arms, holding her tight against his chest.

"Thanks, Engie." Tracy grinned at the RED, receiving a smile back.

"Anytime. Now git goin'!" He waved as they disappeared around a corner. The cold was sneaky this time, not hitting hard but seeping through her clothes. Luckily she was bundled up to the Soldier.

"See, not all REDs are bad." She tapped her knuckles against his helmet, the Soldier grunting in admission. The BLUs retreated back to base, the American carrying her all the way down the medical bay.

"Thanks, soldier." Tracy gave him a mock salute as the Soldier nodded before exiting. The BLU Medic quickly began to assess the damage done to her knee, frowning.

"Not good, but fixable." He nodded, unwrapping her bandage with delicate movements. "My medigun should be able to heal the damage, but I will need to examine it to make sure there are not any fragments. You said it was a scalpel, ja?"

"Yeah, damn RED Thief stabbed me for no good reason." Tracy grunted, crossing her arms in an almost pouting manner.

The doctor poked around in her knee for a little while, pulling out a few shards of a blade. Once he was certain he got all the pieces, he healed her back up. She felt fit as a fiddle, overjoyed she could walk by her own once more.

"Thanks doc."

"Of course."

There was a small pause as Tracy felt her knee. There wasn't even a scar.

"So, how long was it before you guys noticed I was gone?" She asked, almost unsure she wanted to hear the answer. She was nervous that they hadn't noticed until that day.

"Oh, immediately. Soldier was the first to notice. He was quite angry, yelling about you being captured and tortured and the like. I think he may have a little crush on you." The Medic teased, and Tracy was sure he was just kidding, but the possibility made her both nervous and intrigued. "We managed to calm him before he charged out by himself. We had to make a plan rather than charge in full steam. I hope you are not too angry by our lateness."

"Ah, it's fine." She waved a hand, "Not like I was... you know... being tortured or anything." She sarcastically rolled her eyes, receiving a dry chuckle.

"Well, we should not have another match for another day or two. Get some rest, that is an order." He waved a finger at her before nearly shoving her out of her medical ward. "Have a good night, thief."

Tracy sighed, but was glad to be back. It almost felt like home, with these mercs.


	14. Chapter 14

The next match they had was a brutal one, but they won the battle. While blood and guts were thrown here and there, Tracy had more or less gotten used to the visuals. She had to eventually, she couldn't throw up on the battlefield every single time someone got blown to smithereens.

Desensitized aside, she still didn't like the visuals and quickly ran back into her base. She hadn't seen much of the RED Thief after her escape and torture. She was thankful, but slightly curious as to why. The memory of her clone asking her to kill her still lingered in her mind, the morbid thought of obliging her stuck in her head much to her dismay. Tracy didn't think herself violent, but it was somewhat tempting after the treatment she received.

Tracy threw herself on the couch, kicking off her shoes and socks. She truly wasn't prepared for these weather conditions, her toes numb from the cold. The others were celebrating in the kitchen, both for the win and the packages they received.

Most were allowed mail from home, either letters or shipments. The Scout had received homemade brownies that had luckily stayed fresh during the delivery, which everyone bugged him for a piece. Tracy couldn't help but feel jealous, not for the food, but the fact she couldn't even ring up her mom to say hello. Her mother must have been worried sick. At this point, Tracy wasn't sure how long it had been. A week, a month? It all blended together at some point.

Sitting at the fire and absorbed by her thoughts, she startled when someone sat down next to her. Sniper was holding two cups of cocoa, a rare smile on his lips as he handed one to her. Tracy took it with a half-hearted smile, nodding in appreciation.

"Not a bad shot for it snowing like this." Tracy complimented, taking a gulp of her cocoa. She immediately regretted it, the fluid burning the roof of her mouth. She coughed, receiving a slap on the back from the Aussie.

"Thanks, but try not to choke on ya own words when tryin' to flatter me, eh?" He laughed good-heartedly. He must have been a tad drunk, how friendly and open he was. Tracy didn't mind at this point, having been around alcohol for so long.

"To be honest, not sure why I'm even on these missions. Capturing intel I can understand, but control points?" She chuckled, having recovered from the burn in her mouth.

He shrugged, "Eh, capturing intel and capturing control points. Stealin' is stealin'."

Tracy felt a little comforted, nodding in appreciation. She was feeling much more at home with the mercenaries now, although she couldn't help but sometimes feel like an outcast when they joked or talked amongst themselves. She felt almost alien around them, like a gazelle in a pack of lions.

BLU Engineer sat by the fire, strumming his guitar while the Pyro sat next to him, tapping their foot and nodding along to the tune. Tracy relaxed into the seat, nearly ready to close her eyes and take a small nap. She was far too lazy to go down the two flights of stairs to her bunk.

Just as she was about to pass out for the night, a sudden commotion in the kitchen startled her from sleep. She growled grumpily, sitting up and turning to look into the kitchen. The Spy had gathered a few of the other mercs, staring at a piece of paper on the table. They muttered amongst themselves with worried if slightly excited expressions on their faces.

"Everyone, if you please." Spy gestured for the others in the common room to join them, and so they did if reluctantly. The fire was just so inviting.

Tracy joined them by the table, struggling on her toes to peer over the others. From what she could see, it seemed like an order from the Administrator herself. Helen, wasn't it? Tracy had no clue who she was or what she did, other than announce the beginning of matches and alert the team to captures and points.

"It seems we are being ordered to attend a ball in behalf of Blutarch." Spy announced, rubbing his chin with a hand. The others didn't seem at all enthused, rolling their eyes and groaning. "Oh, that isn't the only thing."

"What is it?" Tracy asked, one of the few to inquire.

"All of us must have a dance partner. It is required." He scoffed, rolling his eyes at the others who groaned in admonishment.

Tracy piped up, "Why in the hell do we need to go to some ball for?"

"To prance around like show dogs, for what else?" Spy replied, putting out his cigarette on the form. "Mann Co. does not simply survive off our funds alone. They need others to invest in the company, not to mention RED and BLU. To project us as gentlemen and worthy of their funds, we must attend."

"Well, what if we don't wanna go?" Engineer spoke up, his soft voice breaking the momentary silence.

"Then I suppose you are ready to leave the company." Spy shrugged in an uncaring fashion. Engineer sighed and shook his head, but admitted defeat.

Tracy stood to the side, a worried expression plastered on her face. How in the hell was she going to go to this ball? And with a partner? She didn't know a single woman who would come all the way up here just to dance for a little while, even if the party was going to be extravagant. Not to mention she was barred from any contact to home. The thought of asking Miss Pauling crossed her mind, but she knew the Scout was trying to win her hand, so that was unlikely.

Even if she had a date, the fact she had no dress wear to speak of was also an issue. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"What's the problem lad?" Demoman spoke up, slapping her on the shoulder. She jumped at the sudden contact, but couldn't help but give him a small smile if only for his benefit.

"No date and no suit. I'm not allowed contact home and don't have the funds to even buy one." She stuffed her hands into her pockets, slumping slightly.

Spy turned to her, pursing his lips to look her up and down. "I think I can handle your clothes. I cannot allow you to attend wearing your uniform. As for a date? I believe I can arrange something of the sort."

"Really? You'd do that for me?" Her eyes lit up. The Spy always seemed a little cold to everyone, but he was surprisingly kind and generous to those he had an affection for. Well... maybe affection was a bit too much. But he definitely did have some sort of geniality towards her and a few others of her team.

"Of course." He granted her a smile, almost laughing before catching himself. "You do owe me, however."

"Oh boy, another debt to repay." Tracy remarked sarcastically, smirking slightly.

Spy snorted at her reply. The others seemed amused for only a moment before becoming absorbed into their thoughts again. Most murmured about dates and clothes. Since they were out in the middle of nowhere in a snow storm, mail was rare and packages even rarer. It was a wonder how they even got their mail that day.

Tracy decided to just try and get her mind off of it. She had never really been to parties other than small get togethers with her old gang. Usually they just drank some beer Victor had stolen from his dad and watched TV. Sometimes they'd even get weed, which wasn't very often due to their small town. She didn't even go to her own prom, but they did steal from cars in the parking lot of the school.

Grabbing a can of soda, she went back into the common room and flopped down on the couch just as the Engineer strode over. She immediately removed her legs, sitting up to allow the Texan to sit beside her. Tracy noticed the worried expression on his face.

"Hey, what's the matter?" She asked gently, not wanting to irritate him further.

He hesitated, gritting his teeth before looking at her. They didn't talk much, but Tracy had a small bit of affection for him. She wasn't sure if it was because how shy he was or that he looked identical to the RED Engineer, but she couldn't help but want to help him out.

"Just... not comfortable at parties. Never was." Engineer shrugged, "And don't really have anyone in mind to dance with. Never was a good dancer."

"Well," Tracy paused, a small smile on her lips, "Why don't we just dress me up in drag and I'll dance with ya?"

She laughed at her own joke, not noticing the thoughtful look on the Engineer's face as he legitimately considered it. Eventually he joined in, however softly.

"Heh, yeah. Sounds like a good idea." From his tone of voice, she couldn't quite tell if he was serious or not.

"I'm not a good dancer myself either. Probably trod over everyone else's feet, not just my partner." Tracy snorted.

Eventually the rest of the team piled back into the living area, scooting a table into the middle of the room and surrounding it with the chairs from the dining room. They began playing poker, jeering at one another.

"Aye, I saw you peekin' at my cards!" Demoman growled loudly, pointing an accusatory finger at the Medic.

"Nein, of course I wasn't!" Medic threw up his head at the accusation, but had a small smirk on his lips. He turned his head to Tracy, throwing her a wink. "Herr Thief, why don't you join us?"

Tracy threw up her hands, "I don't know jack about poker."

"C'mere sissy, we'll show ya how." Soldier practically commanded, but in a playful tone, dragging over a spare seat between himself and the Medic, and patting it. Reluctantly, she joined them around the table and was dealt her hand.

"I don't even have anything to wager." She commented, gesturing to the pile of cash on the table. Many at the table laughed, elbowing each other and some snickering quietly.

"I guess you'll just have to strip." Sniper chortled, "Most do that when they don't have anything left. Don't worry, we'll go easy on ya."

The rest agreed, nodding and looking back to their hands. Some threw a few bills on the table, throwing glances at each other in order to try and see their cards. Tracy, on the other hand, flushed like the flames in the fireplace. Luckily for her, she had at least three layers on. Even then, she could just fold.

A few weren't playing, consisting of the Spy, Pyro, and Engineer. The Spy and Engineer were actually talking to one another, surprisingly. They seemed to be in deep discussion, subtly glancing at Tracy now and then, although she was far too distracted to notice. The table was crowded, with a few ash trays on the table. The smell of cigar smoke was thick, but not overwhelming, and gave the room a cozy atmosphere.

Just as a few were making their decisions, Pyro leaned over her shoulder and looked at her deck. Tracy was almost insulted before the Pyro muffled something through the mask.

"Mprh fhrd." The noise just barely registered through the mask, but Tracy got the idea. She supposed she had a good hand, even if she had no idea what it was. She had five, six, seven, eight, and nine in hearts. Tracy shrugged, and when prompted, threw her cards on the table. Some groaned, the Demoman and Heavy, growling.

"Your luck will run out, little man." Heavy snorted, but grabbed his cards once more, drawing a new one from the deck.

The pile of money was drawn Tracy's way a little, making her excited. Had she actually won? She couldn't believe it! But it was short lived. The Pyro wasn't on her shoulder when she put her cards down, and her entire pile was soon pulled away by the Medic who laughed in the Soldier's face.

Feeling a bit cocky, Tracy put her hat in the pile and continued playing. She was slowly getting the idea of what the point of the game was. But soon, as the Russian had said, she had to drop her shoes and gloves within a couple rounds. She was getting a bit antsy after another, having shed her coat.

"Poor thing, why don't you just fold now?" Demoman commented, with a bit of mocking pity in his tone.

Tracy shook her head, "Lemme just keep trying. I'm sure I'll get it soon."

She did manage to hold her own for a little while longer, getting a full house and a straight. But soon she had to remove her turtleneck, and luckily that day had pulled on a tank top in order to layer up for the cold weather. Goosebumps rose on her arms, glad they had staged the game where the fireplace could keep her warm.

Medic had folded out long ago, but was glancing at her warily. It seemed she wasn't the only one concerned about keeping her identity hidden. If she lost either her pants or tank-top, there would be some questions raised. Still, she felt ballsy and had the creeping feeling she could win the round and pull out.

Heavy was the last man standing, smirking at her with her hat atop his head. They renewed their decks and looked over the cards.

"Are you sure about this, tiny man?" Heavy was very confident about himself and his cards. Tracy turned up her nose, rolling her eyes.

"Don't get so cocky." She said this, and even though she had a strong feeling she could get lucky, she felt her nerves ride high while her cards shook with her hands.

Ten of hearts, jack of hearts, queen of hearts, king of hearts, and an ace of hearts. She had no idea if this was a good set, but it was her only hope and she knew that matching cards were a good sign. When they shown their cards, Heavy sagged in his seat and Tracy took this as a sign to jump up from her seat, whooping and hollering in glee.

"A royal flush." Spy scoffed from corner of the room, "Seems luck was on your side after all."

Stretching across the table, Tracy pulled her spoils , hugging them to her body and laughing. She couldn't believe it. It had to be a good amount of money, judging by the many hundred dollar bills. She almost forgot she was nearly naked, and quickly reclaimed her sweater and hat.

"Well fellas, I'll see ya in the morning." She gave the group a mock salute, her earnings bundled up into her coat.

She hid the pile in the corner of her bunk-bed, right next to her pillow. She doubted any of her team would steal it, since she did win fairly and most didn't seem the type. Satisfied with her night, Tracy decided to take a shower before getting some sleep.

The showers were empty, and it took awhile for the water to spit out hot. Tracy stripped, glancing at the entrance to the showers once or twice, thinking she might have heard footsteps over the staccato of water hitting tile.

Showering quickly, she was just about done when she heard someone enter. Gasping, she failed to quiet herself as she heard bare feet slap closer.

"D-Don't come in! Occupied!" She tightened the shower curtain to the wall.

"Ah, sorry." A voice replied. She had never heard the voice before, and it was definitely not any of her team mates. Tracy was almost tempted to peek out, but knew better.

The person, whomever they were, retreated away. Tracy was almost certain they left the shower room entirely until she heard a squeak shower knob turned. She took this as her opportunity to quickly rinse and get dressed, almost running out of the room.

Heart thumping, she almost bumped into the doctor when she neared the dorms. He gasped, catching her shoulders with both hands in order to steady himself.

"Ach, was ist los?" Medic asked questioningly in his native tongue, slightly annoyed.

"I'm fine, it's just..." Tracy glanced back towards the stairs she had came from, "Someone was in the showers with me."

"Vhat? Did they... see you?" He whispered.

She shook her head, "No... but I didn't recognize their voice."

Just as she finished that thought, the BLU Pyro began walking up the steps. They cocked their head at the two, and brushed past.

Tracy turned to stare after.


	15. Chapter 15

The ball they were forced to attend came faster than Tracy had expected. It was only a day away, and she was becoming more and more nervous as the hours ticked by. Spy had told her that the suit he ordered had been delayed due to the horrible weather. Engineer had timidly offered to lend her one of his old suits, why was to say... less than pleasant in terms of wear and tear.

Still, it was the only thing she had, and even though it sagged on her and was in bad shape, it was far better than nothing. Spy, on the other hand, was completely disgusted by the state of dress and offered to fit it on her.

She stood in the Spy's smoking room (another one he procured for his own and rarely let anyone inside besides himself) with her arms out to the sides. Her shoulders ached from standing still for so long, frowning as another cloud of smoke hit her square in the face.

"Are we almost done?" She couldn't help but whine. She felt a headache coming on, and really wanted to just grab a drink with the Heavy and Demo before going to bed. Spy was making some adjustment to her cuffs, pursing his lips at her with an unimpressed expression on his face.

"Be patient. Do you want to attend looking like you slapped on a pair of hand-me-downs? I do not think our employer would appreciate that."

"He can suck it."

Spy raised an eyebrow, but otherwise did not comment. Tracy didn't know how Spy knew so much about clothes, but figured it was another thing she would never figure out about Spy. He rarely, if ever, stuck her with a needle. Thank god for small favors. Still, the smoke in the room was stifling. Even if the cold rushed it, she felt it would be a better alternative to open a window than continue breathing in that room.

The Frenchman eventually took notice of her discomfort and stood up, towering over her by at least a head. "I suppose I can give you a break, but tomorrow morning we must continue. We must leave early tomorrow to get to the Mann Estate."

Tracy sighed in relief and thanked him, gently peeling off the suit and folding the garments. It was a dark blue number, not totally unsimilar to Spy's, but clearly not as classy. It had a silly blue fringe for the undershirt and a bright and shiny bow-tie. Spy refused to even look at it, replacing it with a white button up shirt and black tie.

Glad to finally relax her shoulders, she thanked the Spy for his help and began to walk out.

"Wait a moment." Spy's voice called out just as she had opened the door. Tracy stopped in her tracks, turning back to him and shutting the door.

"What is it?" There was a slight sense of foreboding in the air. Spy was a good man, for all she knew of him. He had a pretty good reputation with most of her team, although a few seemed a bit jealous or annoyed by him. He was dependable and dangerous.

Spy stepped forward, releasing a puff of smoke in his wake. "I have a feeling, and excuse me if I am intruding as it is my job as a spy, that there is something you are hiding."

She froze, if only for a moment, but he noticed. Tracy stared, not sure how to respond.

"I know it is none of my business, but I am quite curious. I have asked the doctor for his opinion, yet he refused to even speak of you. Either he dislikes you, which I doubt, or he's covering for you. I am intrigued." Spy stepped around her, barely brushing her shoulder. "This is not an interrogation, I am simply asking. If you do not wish to share, then that is your business."

"But know this, I will discover what it is sooner or later. I did not procure this position for nothing. I looked at your files, yet nothing has turned up that would stand out. It is... infuriating." He closed his eyes a moment, shaking his head. "Regardless, I will wait for your answer. Or lack thereof."

Spy left the room, leaving Tracy in the dark.

Tracy stood around for a few minutes, shifting her weight, not sure what to do. She knew that Spy wouldn't wait outside for her, he planned to sweat her out until she finally cracked. Shaking her head, she decided to just get a drink like she had planned to all along. Stepping out, she made her way to the kitchen.

A small group consisting of Heavy, Demoman, and surprisingly Scout were all sitting at the kitchen table laughing. Laughing at Scout to be precise. The Bostonian had spat all over the table and himself, clearly having tried and failed to shoot a glass of Scrumpy. His face was red, either from pain or embarrassment.

"Hey lad, take a seat." Demo offered, scooting out a chair. He was clearly already drunk, although Tracy couldn't tell due to how drunk he was all the time. Still, he seemed lucid enough. She took the seat beside him and took a glass and swallowed it down fast. It burned wickedly all the way down, forcing a cough from her.

"How in the hell do you drink this shit?!" Scout was still coughing his lungs up, doubled over the table with a fist clenched beside his head.

"Ach, grow a pair! This shiet is the weak stuff." The Scotsman rolled his eye and took a gulp from his bottle, smacking his lips audibly. Tracy couldn't help but snort out a laugh.

"Have a chaser or something. Y'know, drink something you like right after to take away the taste. Or drink it cold." Tracy offered, gesturing to Demo to pour her another.

Scout stood up and ran towards the fridge, taking out a can of BONK! as the Heavy snorted out, "Chaser is weak, drink like man!"

The Thief eyed the soda, not sure if it was a great idea or not to drink that soda while doing shots. She'd seen what that stuff was capable of on the battlefield. If anything, it could make the scrumpy twice as potent.

Yet she couldn't help but be a little amused by the thought of a totaled Scout bumping around in the halls drunkenly. Tracy took another shot as the Heavy began speaking about his time in bars and bar fights.

"Medic and I in bar, drinks very good. Back at 2fort, before new little man. Was many people, many did not like doctor. Doctor laugh in faces, Heavy crush little men in face and throw them across room. Other little men join and try to fight, but too giant for tiny men to hurt me. Medic broke bartender's nose with glass." They all laughed, perhaps a bit too hard. Tracy blamed the drink, and the giant man's broken english.

Just as the Heavy finished his story, Tracy caught sight of the Scout taking a swallow of vodka (he must have grabbed the glass while the story was being regailed, and quickly grabbed his can and chugged it down.

The effect was immediate, the younger man buzzing and flickering in and out of sight. It was not so much flickering as it was a vibration. Tracy experimentally tried to touch the Scout's shoulder, but her hand met little resistance and she passed through him. She yanked her hand back, staring at it.

"Oh man, this feels so weird." Scout mumbled as the effect wore off. He slumped over the table, his eyes glassy and distant.

"You're telling me." Tracy replied, deadpan. Demoman burst out laughing and slapped her on the back, going into a coughing fit. She grabbed his bottle of scrumpy while he was distracted and took a longer drink than before.

They left Scout at the table for awhile as they talked. A warm buzz filled Tracy's body, leaving her warm and sated. They grabbed some food, leftovers from dinner earlier. Tracy scarfed down a drumstick while Demoman stuffed mashed potatoes and gravy in his mouth. Heavy had a... sandwich. Tracy knew Heavy's sandwich was off limits to all, since it was specially made for him and him alone. She also knew it had healing properties, for some reason.

"Ach, time for sleep. Little Scout need bed." Heavy stood from the table, grabbing the Scout by his collar and lifting him onto his shoulder. Scout mumbled incoherently, still not aware of his surroundings. Tracy muffled a laugh at the sight, but waved the two goodbye and turned back to the Scotsman.

Demoman was now slumped over the table, sleepy and sighed, standing from her seat. She was wobbly and her sight was double, but she was a tad too drunk to think straight. Grabbing the Demoman, she hauled him from his seat. Which was quite a feat, since she wasn't that strong. Still, somehow she managed to drag him from the kitchen and down a set of halls and stairs.

Some things went fuzzy, like how she was able to open his door. She could vaguely make out the shape of the Heavy already inside, snoring like a bear. Demo had the top bunk, and for a short amount of time she was able to rouse him into wakefulness in order to force him up the ladder. Still, she had to help push and guide his hands til he eventually got to the top. Just as she was about to fall down the ladder to go back to her room, he grabbed her arm and pulled her onto the bed.

She protested, but she was far too drunk and the bed was too comfortable. She pulled the blanket over them, falling asleep too quickly to notice the Demoman throwing an arm over her.


	16. Chapter 16

"Oh me mother tilly."

Tracy's mind was muddled, and for a few short seconds she was comfortable and happy.

Then the alcohol from last night hit her.

A raging hangover pounded into her brain like a sledgehammer. Whatever urge she had to get up or open her eyes dropped from her mind immediately. She then became aware of an arm around her, and a warm body.

Jerking awake, she caught sight of the Demoman lying beside her. He was awake as well, but probably still drunk or hungover like herself. It was hard to tell with him. Opening an eye, he squinted at her and laughed.

"Ach, not the first time I fell in bed with someone. Least I know who ya are." He chuckled, turning back towards the wall with a groan. "Perhaps I had a tad too much."

"You're telling me." Intense pain burned in her skull, along with the urge to vomit. She swallowed the urge down, gagging slightly. Deciding to NOT vomit in Demo's bed, she stumbled down the ladder. "I'll see you... ugh... later. See if Medic's up."

"Aye." He waved his hand lazily in her direction, not bothering to look.

The bright lights in the hall doubled the pain, causing Tracy to flinch and clench her eyes shut. For awhile she slowly made her way to the medical ward with squinted eyes, cursing under her breath about bad decisions and alcohol.

At the very least nothing awkward happened, despite sleeping in the same bed with a man who thought she was also a man. Demo seemed a little too comfortable sleeping with her, but she supposed he was probably too drunk to care.

Eventually making her way to the medical ward, Medic was thankfully up. He turned and greeted her with a smirk, raising an eyebrow at her face. "I see having a drink or two was not the best idea, ja? Especially since we must be going soon."

"You could say that again."

"I see having-"

"Don't you dare, I'm hungover enough." Thief deadpanned, staring at Medic's amused grin.

"Yes yes, let me see if I have anything for you..." The doctor waved his hand, stepping over to a few open supplies to survey them. He quickly brought her a bottle of painkillers, allowing her to take two.

"None for Demo or Heavy?" She asked.

"Herr Heavy and Demoman have enough of a tolerance in order to not need them. Take one to Scout however, I heard him moaning in the kitchen earlier." Medic snorted.

Tracy waved the doctor goodbye and made her way up to the kitchen area. Scout was indeed moaning and whining, slumped over the very same seat he got drunk in the night prior. Tracy wordlessly dropped a pill on the table next to him and poured herself and him a cup of coffee.

"Thanks." The Bostonian's voice was scratchy, but he managed a weak smile. They bother took their pills, wincing at the hot coffee going down their throats. It had to be about five in the morning, and very few other mercs were up. Scout was only up due to being violently sick earlier in the morning and causing Medic to wake up in his own bunk.

Soldier was roused from slumber around six, waking the other mercs soon after. A few joined them in the kitchen, tired and grumpy from the rude awakening. A very select few stubbornly tried to ignore the soldier, rather facing his wrath than get up from their beds. They were soon dragged out into the kitchen, yelling and growling.

"Do you mind, some of us are nursing a hangover!" Scout growled, cupping his hands over his ears.

The few that had tried to stick it out were the Demoman and Sniper, straightening their clothes and staring bitterly at the All-American. They joined the team at the table, making themselves something to eat or drink. Tracy couldn't stomach the thought of eating. Engineer was the last to join, with tired bags under his eyes.

"Ahem." Spy spoke up, standing at the front. "Now that we are all here, time to get ready. We have twenty minutes before our transportation arrives, so I expect each and every single one of you to be dressed and presentable. Engineer, please come with me, I wish to speak with you."

Tracy raised an eyebrow as the Engineer was taken down a hall. She wondered what that was about, but assumed it was just about his suit. Her's was more or less complete, although the pants didn't fit exactly right, a belt would fix that. Her team dispersed to get ready, taking their last drinks and bites of food. Tracy lazily got from her seat and dragged the Scout from the table to the dorms and shoved him into his room to get ready.

Her suit was still in Spy's smoking room last she knew, so she decided to go down and check if it was still there. She was walking down the hall when she heard someone talking. Tracy slowly crept to the door, listening in.

"I had their measurements took, I hope you received them."

"Yes, I got them. One of my contacts said the package would arrive in our transportation."

"Are you sure they'll agree to it?"

"Do they have a choice?"

There was a small pause before complete silence. Tracy heard footsteps and immediately ran back behind a corner, listening as two sets of feet faded away. Creeping towards the door, she was relieved to find no one inside, but her suit was still in the box. She wondered what that was all about, but didn't really have the time to question it. She pulled the suit on quickly, straightening any folds or wrinkles the best she could.

She regrouped with her team back in the kitchen, wondering how she looked. They didn't really have any full-length mirrors in the base, so she hoped she looked good enough. She was surprised how the others looked.

Medic was especially well dressed, his hair slicked back in exception to a small curl on his forehead. Heavy was in a suit as well, however it slimmed him down. Demoman had, funnily enough, dressed in a kilt and suit top, already nursing a bottle. Many others were in simple tuxedos and other dress wear. Scout's hair was ridiculiously full of hair gel, nearly blinding with it's shininess. Pyro was in a... well, they had a bow tie. They were still in a flame retardant suit. Soldier was dressed completely in an officer's uniform, with medals pinned to his chest. He still wore his helmet, although it was tilted up slightly more so you could see his eyes.

The last two to join them were the Spy and Engineer. Spy was in a different suit, a darker blue number, although that's where the differences ended. Engineer was in a blue tuxedo with a big goofy bowtie. He looked cute rather than silly, Tracy stepping beside him.

"You look nice." She complimented, giving a genuine smile.

The Texan seemed surprised and delighted, becoming a light shade of pink. "Aw shucks, I'm flattered. Thank you." His face went weird for a moment, almost embarrassed and maybe... guilty? Tracy wasn't sure how to interpret the expression, but it faded as quickly as it came and he smiled once more.

"I see you have all followed my orders." Spy announced, although she could hear him whisper "For once..."

There was the sound of ringing, Spy turning to the kitchen where the phone was held. "Yes? Ah, thank you, we will arrive shortly." Turning back to the team, Spy nodded. "Our car has arrived."

Tracy grabbed her winter coat before following the herd outside. It wasn't nearly as cold as it had been, but it still wasn't toasty. A few of her group shivered and complained of the cold as they neared their vehicle. It was a large blue van with the BLU emblem on the sides. The driver was some teenager who looked barely eighteen and very, very intimidated by the men who stepped inside.

"Thief, one moment." He gestured over to her, pulling a rubber band from his pocket. He pulled her hair back into a small ponytail, leaving only her bangs in front. She thank him, smiling slightly. Spy nodded and turned back to the van.

Tracy was forced between the Engineer and Soldier, barely able to squeeze in unless she put her arms over their shoulders. Soldier seemed pleased, although Engineer looked flustered. It was much warmer inside, thankfully, although very cramped.

Once everyone was seated and buckled in, the vehicle hummed to life and began the drive down the mountain. People chatted amongst themselves, talking about their recent battles or more mundane things. Tracy asked about Soldier's medals, and the American proudly declared he earned them by killing Nazis in the second world war, which he made and gave to himself. Tracy couldn't help but chuckle, and the Soldier took this as a compliment, giving her a small and almost shy grin.

Turning to the Texan she asked, "How ya holdin' up? I know you don't wanna go."

"I've been better. Not helpin' any that Spy doesn't like my sense of fashion." He said his mockingly, but quietly in hopes the Frenchman wouldn't overhear.

"Nevermind that, Spy has a very select taste in clothes. And again, thanks for letting me borrow your suit. How do you think I look?" She gestured to herself as best she could with her arms around both mercs. Tracy was nearly hugging both of them.

"Good." Engineer coughed into his fist, which was surprisingly still in a rubber glove. Speaking of, he was still wearing his welding goggles, although had left his hard hat back at the base.

"Thanks." She smiled, before turning back to his hand. "Actually, I was meaning to ask, why do you wear that glove all the time? And what's with the goggles?"

His eyebrows shot up, before smiling. "Ah, forgot about the goggles. Wear 'em all the time I forget I'm wearin' 'em. And about my hand..."

Tracy watched as the Engineer pulled his glove off, exposing metal and wires. A prosthetic hand, probably of the Engineer's design by the looks of it. It closed and moved like a real hand, and the Texan flexed his fingers as an example.

"Made it myself." He smiled.

Tracy uncoiled her arm from his shoulders, reaching out to touch it. It was cold, but oddly fitting for the Texan. She laced her fingers through his metal ones, unsure how to feel.

"How'd this happen?" Tracy felt it might be a delicate topic, and was correct. He squeezed her hand before pulling away, allowing her to return her arm around his back.

"Was workin' to make some more metal, compressing spare scrap to make it usable again. Turns out putting your hand into a compress is a bad idea." He appeared to laugh, but it was obvious it wasn't a happy memory. Tracy frowned, squeezing his shoulders in a half hug.

"That's horrible. What happened? I mean, if you want to tell me."

"Luckily Medic was just passing by my workshop when he heard me... screaming. He managed to stop the bleeding, but my hand was gone. I'm no good with just one hand, especially on the battlefield. Took a couple weeks, but with Sawbone's help, I managed to make this prototype." He flexed his hand one last time before pulling the glove back on. He stared at his hand a moment before letting it fall to his side.

Just before his hand completely fell, she grabbed onto his hand and squeezed gently. "I'm sorry that had to happen to you. I know words don't help much."

"No, thank you." He nodded, hiding his face from hers. She could see a slightly red tint on his high cheekbones.

She held onto his hand for the entire car ride, not speaking much but still comforting him the best she could. The Soldier got her attention once more, cracking jokes about their battles and even lifting his helmet from his head.

"I think you look good without the helmet." She smiled.

"Oh? Do you think I should go without?" He rested the helmet on his lap, sliding a hand down his scalp. His hair was cropped down severely, but it actually did look good on him.

"At least when we're not on the battlefield." Tracy laughed, raising a hand to pat his head.

"Hmmm... I'll think about it." Soldier gave her a smile, running his fingers along the dints and cracks of his helmet. One was in the very center of his helmet, most likely from a sniper rifle bullet. She knew helmets like those weren't exactly as strong as they looked, so he was a very lucky man.

Tracy yawned. It had to be a couple more hours until they reached their destination. Closing her eyes and with one last squeeze to the Texan's hand, she relaxed into her seat and decided to take a nap.


	17. Chapter 17

Tracy was startled awake by bodies moving against her. The van was dark in exception to the flickering light of a cigarette lighter, which was quickly snuffed out. Her muscles ached, especially her neck from lying back at an awkward angle. The Engineer shifted beside her, staring out the window.

"Ugh, what time is it?" She asked as she yawned, stretching as best she could in the confined space.

"Seven thirty." Someone groaned from the front. Really, she had slept that long?

"How close are we? I thought it would only take a few hours." Tracy couldn't help but whine, tired of being squashed between two larger men. She could feel sweat bead down her neck from the warm bodies stuffed into the vehicle.

"Our driver took a wrong turn. Besides, it would have taken us much longer." Spy said a seat ahead, looking just as irritated as she was. The rest of her team seemed none too happy either, staring bitterly at their driver or out the windows. "But we are close. Thankfully we are not late yet, but I will be reporting this."

Tracy shifted and squirmed, unable to get comfortable. The Soldier took note of this, raising an eyebrow.

"Uncomfortable, soldier?" He asked, a small grin on his face.

"You could say that." A yawn erupted from her mouth. Instead of a response, he grabbed her legs and lifted them onto his lap. Tracy was confused and a little embarrassed, but welcomed the change and shifted to lean back in her seat. She had much more leg room now.

"Err... thanks." She gave the All-American a small, confused smile.

"No problem." Her rested a hand on her calf, reclining back.

Tracy wasn't sure what to think of the Soldier. He had started out as such a hard ass, but turned out to be, well... She couldn't quite place it. He was nice, even thoughtful, although that clashed with his bravado-filled exterior. But she couldn't deny that she liked the alternative.

There they sat for fifteen more minutes , uncomfortable and irritated. Tracy's stomach growled, but thankfully her hangover was gone. As the minutes ticked down, the group got more and more angered but were quickly quelled by the approaching lights in the distance.

A huge mansion banked on the horizon, surrounded by cars of many shapes and sizes, but obviously all very expensive and lavish. She couldn't help but stare as they approached as hoardes of people began to enter the estate. The REDS had arrived earlier than them, from the looks of the red van with the RED emblem parked near the front.

"Perfect, looks like the enemy got here first." Medic remarked with a low growl in his voice. He snapped towards the driver, who shrunk in his seat and turned to park.

They rushed to get out of the stifling vehicle, all thankful to be able to stretch their legs and cool off. She nearly stumbled when she stepped out, the Heavy catching her just before she fell flat on her face.

She thanked him, turning towards the entrance. The groups of people had slowed down a tad, but a few more were approaching. Just as she began to join her team entering the mansion, she turned and saw just as the Spy grabbed a box from under his seat.

Tracy had no time to go back and see what it was as she was herded inside by a large group of party-goers. Before she could curse her luck, she noticed the interior.

It was lavishly decorated, with fountains and ribbons and tables full of food. Ice sculptures were spitting out different types of alcohol, wine and vodka and others that Tracy couldn't identify. The people were gorgeous, obviously well bred and wealthy from their dress alone. She couldn't help but stare as they passed by, until she caught sight of something else.

The RED team were present, all huddled together in a corner and barely mingling. The RED Thief was talking to the RED Engineer, and Tracy surprised to feel... jealous? She wasn't sure, but she knew she didn't want him talking to her. But it wasn't like she could just... walk up and talk to him, could she? She resigned herself to this, turning towards where she thought her own team had gone.

Most were near the food area, picking up hors d'oeuvre or sweets at the table. Sniper stood in a corner, crossing his arms and staring at the floor in front of him. Tracy never heard him argue or complain about going, but she had a feeling he wasn't enjoying this. She caught sight of the Engineer trailing after the Medic and Heavy, who paid no mind to the people around them as they talked and laughed. Demoman and Soldier were hoarding the alcohol, tossing different drinks to one another.

Spy, Scout, and Pyro were not in sight, but she was sure the Scout was looking for Miss Pauling, or some other girl he could dance with. Spy did have some sort of package with him, so perhaps he was delivering something. Pyro? Well... maybe they had a fireplace somewhere around here.

Tracy did the only thing she could think of and stepped beside the Sniper, stuffing her hands into her pockets and leaning against the wall. The Australian turned and nodded, giving her a small smile.

"Nice party, ain't it?" He commented, amused but not necessarily happy. Sniper looked odd without his signature hat and glasses, but she couldn't deny that he looked rather nice in a suit. Tracy nodded, not sure how to hold herself. She had never been in front of so many people before.

"I guess. It's missing some debauchery though." Tracy joked, clearing her throat with a small cough. Sniper laughed, turning to face her.

"Oh, I'm sure it'll happen sooner or later. Parties with Saxton Hale rarely ever end quietly."

"Who's Saxton Hale?"

Sniper stared at her a moment before slapping his own face. "Ah, right. Suppose no one ever told you. He owns Mann Co., the place we buy all our guns from. He's a right brute, and that's downplaying it. Strong as an ox, fights bears and kills endangered animals for fun. Can't tell you much other than that though."

Tracy raised an eyebrow, but wasn't sure how to reply. She had seen so much in her time with these mercs, so it wasn't exactly shocking to hear of such a man. But she wondered what he looked like.

She didn't have to wonder long, as a balcony from above burst open. Everyone's attention was drawn as a booming sound was heard, splintered pieces of wood flying down, most likely from a broken door. At first he was only a shadow, until a spotlight was drawn upon him.

He was a hulking figure, possible a foot taller than most of the people present. He was huge, not just in height, but also in mass. Every single spec of flesh upon him bulged with muscle, almost ridiculously so. He wore ripped shorts, possibly the remnants of slacks that was meant to be his dress wear. Around his neck, tightly bound and almost ready to spring loose, was a bow-tie. He wore a hat not totally dissimilar to the Sniper's, although he had a mustache and chest hair that suspiciously looked like the shape of Australia.

"WELCOME ALL TO THE MANN CO. ANNUAL BALL! I AM YOUR HOST SAXTON HALE!" He boomed, recieving a loud applause. "Be ready for the best party of your lives, or I will end them here and now!"

The applause went on, out of fear or entertainment Tracy had no idea. She decided to clap as well, in hopes she wouldn't be spotted as the odd one out in the crowd. Sniper joined her lazily, slowly clapping with and unimpressed expression on his face. From the corner of her eye, she could see the Soldier clapping happily with a drumstick in his mouth.

Beside Saxton on the balcony, a woman stepped forward. She was tall and boney, thin to an almost exruciating point. Her purple dress suit sagged on her just slightly, as if she had kept the outfit even after she had lost so much weight. She held a cigarette in her hand, staring down at the party with disdain.

Snapping, the woman caught Tracy's eye and looked her up and down. The glare was burning, as if the woman were studying every detail of her. Tracy looked away, unable to meet her eyes for more than a second. Turning back, the woman's gaze had turned away, and Tracy felt as if she had imagined the whole occurance.

"The dance will begin now! Enter the ball room and make sure to have a partner! The dance will continue althroughout the night." Saxton commanded with authority. All but very few began their march towards the ball room, linking arms with their partners. Many looked excited, but others looked worried or aprehensive.

"I am a horrible dancer." Tracy grumbled, crossing her arms to turn to the Sniper.

"I'm no better. I'll see you inside, alright? I'm gonna have to find a sheila to dance with." He patted her on the shoulder before making his way into the crowd. At once she felt exposed and alone, searching the room for her team. The Soldier was still munching away at the food table, the Demoman slumped on the floor with a wine bottle clenched in one hand. Spy had finally made his appearance, glancing at her before following the crowd. A few RED team members were still present, but kept a wide berth between themselves and the BLUs.

Tracy sighed, but decided the best thing was to follow the rest into the ball room. She didn't have much of a choice otherwise. The room was packed, with many lining the sides in wait for the dancers to thin out. The Heavy and Medic were dancing with each other, although clearly only playfully and switching partners. Scout was chatting up a few girls in the corner, many looking less than impressed. Engineer was hiding in a corner, too shy to actually approach anyone.

Tracy stepped beside him, smiling as she approached. The Texan seemed relieved, sighing and smiling in response.

"How ya doin', wallflower?" Tracy asked, looking out upon the crowd of dancers. Despite their orders, the group seemed to be enjoying themselves anyways.

"Alright, I suppose." He shrugged.

"No partner?"

"Yup."

"Hey, I'm sure any gal here would be happy to dance with you." She bumped him with her elbow jokingly, but sincere in her tone.

Engineer blushed, unable to respond for a moment while he coughed into his fist. Just as Tracy turned back to the crowd, she spotted a swatch of purple at the other end of the room. Miss Pauling, looking just as cute as ever, was being chatted up by the RED Scout. She could tell Pauling was uncomfortable and looking for an excuse to leave. She was dressed in a violet floral dress with light yellow flowers and black mary jane heels.

"I'm gonna go save Miss Pauling, go and talk to a few people." She nudged the Engineer, throwing him a wink before making her way through the crowd.

As Tracy approached, she could hear the RED Scout trying to talk Miss Pauling up while also flattering himself. It was kind of painful to listen to, so Tracy did the only thing she could think of.

"Nice to see you Miss Pauling." She immediately bumped into the Scout, smiling as charmingly as she could manage. "Want to dance?"

Miss Pauling immediately took the chance, "Of course! I was just waiting for someone to ask."

As they pulled away from the wall, Tracy could hear the muffled complaints of the Scout saying he had also asked.

They tread as smoothly as possible into the dancers, Tracy taking the lead as best she could with no experience with dancing. She did as she had saw in the movies on television, taking her hip and hand and moving slowly. She tried to keep her feet as far away as possible from Miss Pauling's as she could in order not to step on her.

"Thanks for that, you have no idea how much he tries." The woman in violet sighed in relief, smiling up at Tracy.

"No problem. I mean, is he that bad of a guy?" Tracy asked, maneuvering them to turn with the crowd.

"Well, I don't dislike him, but he comes on a little strong." Pauling shrugged, pursing her lips.

"Best of luck to you with that. My Scout isn't quite as annoying, although he's just as bad with the ladies."

Miss Pauling gave a small laugh. "Maybe. How are you doing by the way? I hope you're settling in well. I would have called you or something, but I don't have much down time. Whenever I do it's just to sleep and eat... housework... all that sort of stuff."

"Pretty well, actually. My team is one of the best." Tracy could feel a warm, happy feeling in her chest. She did geniunely enjoy her team's company, unlike her dread when she first joined.

"Glad to hear it. Oops." Tracy could feel Miss Pauling's heeled foot accidentally step on her own. "Sorry."

"Nah, it's fine." Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the rest of the dancer's begin to dip their partners, and did the best she could to mimic them. Miss Pauling was startled, but smiled in response, a slightly pink shade rising on her face.

They began to turn with the crowd, and they began to switch partners. Tracy was only able to give Pauling a "See you later!" before dancing with her new partner. She was a beautiful blonde woman in a red dress, who fluttered her lashes and purred with delight. Tracy was uncomfortable and very much out of her league, and was happy to escape the dance as soon as possible, trading off once more.

Turning back to the wall, she felt her stomach growl threateningly and knew she had to eat. Forcing her way through the crowd, she made her way back to the main hall to grab something to eat. She managed to eat a few appetizers before she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Thief? I need your presence for a moment." The french accent was unmistakable. Tracy set her food down, grabbing a glass of wine before turning to the Spy.

"What's up?"

"Please, come with me."

Tracy followed the Spy up a flight of stairs, taking sips of her wine all the way. She set the glass down on an end table as they neared a door. They entered, and it turned out to be a bathroom. Tan marble counters and porcelain, with tiny sea-shell shaped soaps on the sink.

"Okay, what do you need me in here for?" Tracy couldn't help but be highly confused.

"Please, humor me for just a moment." Spy gestured towards the sink counter, where the package from before was sitting neatly. Tracy stepped forward, sliding the top from the box off to reveal...

A dress.


	18. Chapter 18

"Okay, what the hell is this?"

Tracy stared at the contents of the box, frowning. At first, she couldn't really understand what it was supposed to mean, but then it hit her. The dress was for her.

Then she began to worry. Did Spy know? Medic didn't tell, and as far as she knew no one else knew other than Miss Pauling and the Administrator, and she doubt either of the two would reveal such a thing. Her mind churned until all the pieces fell together.

She had mentioned to the Engineer she could dress in drag and dance with him. And those voices when she went to get her suit? Probably those two. Engineer would have access to her file to get her measurements, and Spy knew how to make a dress or had the funds to buy one.

Tracy turned the the Spy, cocking a brow. "When I said I'd dress in drag, that was a joke."

"I understand that this may be uncomfortable for you, but please understand that each of us need a partner. My date could not attend due to travel issues, and I do not believe any one of us has a date either. Only you have been seen dancing with a partner of sorts, so you have no worries." Spy paused, holding his hands behind his back. "Please, could you do this for us, your team?"

She sighed, understanding the logic of it. Her team would probably be yelled at if they were seen without a date, and she didn't want that for them.

"Fine, I'll do it. But I'd better get those French truffles you promised." She snorted, grabbing the fabric. It was a short sleeved blue dress with lacy, opaque fringe covering the topmost half. It shimmered in the light, slim but flowing. There were also shoes in the box, a pair of white wedges.

"Thank you. I will be just a moment, I have to retrieve someone." Spy stepped out of the bathroom and allowed her time to change. She locked the door behind him and peeled off her suit, folding it as best she could and leaving it in the box the dress had once been.

She pulled off her binder, since the dress had a built in bra to support her. She thanked god that all the running around she did as a merc had slimmed her down, even though she was still thicker than most of the women there, her thighs brushing together just slightly as she walked and a little tummy fat on her stomach as well. Still, the dress smoothed most of her less desirable curves. She slipped on the dress, smoothing it against her skin. Pulling on the shoes, she pulled the rubber band from her hair to look at herself in the mirror.

Tracy looked different, much different than she looked when she first joined the team. Her face was thinner, although she had dark bags under her eyes from staying up late, her mind still upon the horrors of the battlefield. Her hair had grown out quite a bit more, and bleached somewhat by the sun. Her hair was wavey and fell around her face, but was not quite past her chin.

Spy returned a moment later, knocking on the bathroom door. Tracy let him inside, crossing her arms over her chest to give him an unimpressed look. Following him was the Scout, holding a small case.

"Wow, uh..." Scout paused at the door frame, staring at her. "When you said he was in a dress, didn't expect him to actually look like a girl."

"That's the magic of heels." Tracy shrugged, frowning even deeper. Although, past the unamused expression, she desperately hoped no one actually knew that she was indeed a woman. "Anyways, what's he got to do with this?"

"Scout will be doing your make up." The Frenchman gave her a smirk, lighting a cigarette from his case before stuffing it back into his inner jacket pocket.

"Seriously? I mean, okay." Tracy shrugged, taking a seat. She cocked a brow at the Scout, who appeared to become flustered and blushed, although out of embarrassment was yet to be revealed.

Scout sat down in front of her, snapping the case open. Inside was a small collection of make-up. Where Scout had gotten it, she had no idea. He began applying liquid foundation to her face, covering the scars and marks of battle. Powder came next, then eye shadow and mascara. The Bostonian even had an eyelash curler, which she nervously allowed him to use.

Peeking at her reflection in the mirror, she was shocked. Tracy looked like a total stranger to herself, all her flaws completely wiped away. Sure, she didn't even come close to the other guests below who were most likely still dancing, but it was a definite improvement. She resisted the urge to touch her face, just in case she happened to ruin the facade.

Looking back to the Scout she asked, "How in the hell do you know how to do this shit?"

Scout blushed, frowning and turning away from her gaze. "Ugh, not like I had any choice. I was the youngest of my brothers. I spent most of my time with my ma, and I guess she figured that I could be of some use when she prepped in the morning. She taught me a few things, like the powder stuff and the eye shadow. I started doing it more so I could kind of impress the girls at my school, y'know, help them get pretty."

"Most thought I was gay though." He scowled, applying some blush to her cheeks before turning to lipstick. He applied a light pink lipstick, contrasting well with the deep blue eye-shadow.

Scout straightened his back and began to survey his work, lifting and turning her chin to get all the angles. "That should about do it, I think."

Tracy gave herself one last look-over before standing from her seat. "Yeah, I guess. Hopefully this works out. Err... did you happen to get a date yet?"

"Nah. Well, I did go into the crowd and danced with a few people, but I dunno if that would qualify as a date." Scout shrugged, putting the make up back into the case.

"Then I guess I can dance with you first." She chuckled, linking her arm in his as she steered him to the door. Scout stumbled with his words, turning the to Spy. Spy had remained quiet for the most part, simply smoking his cigarette in silence, but he laughed at the boy's expression.

Very few were still in the lobby, although a few turned to see what was coming from upstairs. Some REDs were present, and stared as the BLU Scout and Tracy made their way down.

"Hey, you finally get lucky enough to get a girl to think you're not a loser?" One cracked, the Scout of the RED team.

Tracy's Scout was about to snap back, but Tracy beat him to the punch. "He's had more luck than you've had tonight. I think Miss Pauling was less than impressed at your attempts to woo her. At least MY Scout has some manners."

Behind the pair, Spy snorted in muffled laughter as the RED Scout's face turned as red as his uniform. Even his ears turned a bright pink, it was almost impressive. The Scout on her arm smirked at his counterpart, straightening his back and broadening his shoulders with confidence as they made their way back to the dance floor.

The dancing was still underway, but many more people were chatting near the walls and resting their feet. Scout led Tracy into the crowd, taking her hand and hip as they began to flow with the rest of the couples. He wasn't a bad dancer at all, although this was probably to be expected with how agile he was. Scout never once stepped on her feet or bumped them into another pair, although he didn't seem a hundred percent comfortable with the type of dancing.

"Ugh, not a fan of this." Scout twirled her, placing his hand once again on her waist before dipping her along with the crowd.

"Not a fan of ballroom?" Tracy remarked, a small smirk on her lips as she was pulled back up.

"I prefer break-dancing or, y'know, freestyle. Not this stiff, suit and tie, fancy-shmancy stuff." He grimaced, maneuvering them away from the middle of the crowd to the outskirts of the dance area.

"Me neither. I don't really like to dance at all, I'm pretty horrible at it. I mean, I don't really know if I am a good dancer or not, but I'd rather not embarrass myself if I am." Tracy shrugged.

Scout smiled despite their circumstance. "Maybe when we get back to base I can give ya a few pointers."

"Yeah, we'll see about that." They pulled out of the dancers and separated. "I should probably see about the others."

"Awright, try not to trip on your own feet." Scout chortled before making his way out.

Tracy turned to survey the crowd, picking out her team in the chaos wasn't as difficult as she had expected. Her team obviously wore blue, and while a few other party-goers had a similar color choice, she could tell from a mile away where her team was.

Medic and Heavy were in a corner, chatting up a few people who seemed intelligent enough for conversation. Engineer was still hiding against the wall, staring at his feet, although it seemed that Pyro had joined him. Demo and Soldier had made their way into the room, but she wasn't quite sure if Demoman was standing against the wall or slumped over. Sniper was in the opposite corner of the room, a glass most likely filled with alcohol.

Just as Tracy began to search for Spy, an arm wrapped around her waist. She whipped her head around, but was relieved to find it was only the Frenchman.

"Looking for me, mademoiselle?" Spy greeted in the most charming fashion possible. If Tracy didn't know better, she would have thought him to be flirting with her. Despite her knowledge of the facts, she couldn't help a blush rise to her face.

"Perhaps I was. You do need a partner, after all."

"But of course. Shall we?"

"We shall."

And so they danced. Spy was, of course, a fantastic dancer. Even better than Scout, but that was to be expected with such a gentleman. With his behavior from before, Tracy was quite nervous and accidentally trod on his foot once or twice, but he never seemed bothered and always accepted her apology with grace.

In all honesty, she was relieved to finally part from him. Not that she did not enjoy her time, but when he turned up the charm factor, Spy was almost too much to handle. No wonder the Scouts on both teams seemed wary of the man, due to the rumors either Spy had been in contact with their mothers.

Taking a deep breath, Tracy waved goodbye to the Spy as he strutted from the dancing to the wall, effortlessly joining a pair of beautiful women and integrating himself in the conversation with nothing more than a smile. Quite the heart-breaker, Tracy suspected.

Who was left now? Demoman, Engineer, Heavy, Medic, Pyro, Sniper, and Soldier. Alright, who was she gonna choose to dance with next?


	19. Chapter 19

Tracy made her way towards the little group Medic and Heavy had created around themselves. She almost felt guilty or perhaps intrusive as she pushed through a few people.

"Hey guys!" She gave them a small wave. Medic perked up and smiled, waving back. Tracy cocked a brow, an amused smile gracing her lips. "I see you're enjoying yourselves."

"Yes, is good times!" Heavy proclaimed, drinking from a very expensive bottle of vodka. "Why is leetle one in dress?"

"Ohohooh, yes! I was a bit apprehensive, but this hasn't been so bad." Medic tittered, resting a hand on the Russian's shoulder. "And it seems the Spy has had you dressed up, eh?"

"Oh! Yeah, I almost forgot..." Tracy blushed, rubbing her cheek. "Something about you guys not having dates and I already had one..."

Medic stepped forward, leaning down to whisper, "Well, I think you look lovely."

Tracy stepped back, flustered, a red tint on her cheeks. "Um, well, thank you. You're uh... very well dressed tonight as well!" Geez, she sure was great at conversation.

Medic laughed, patting her shoulder. "Yes, well, perhaps we should dance then? Comrade, would you hold my drink?"

Heavy nodded, taking the wine glass gently in his large fingers as the German doctor took her hand. Tracy was surprised at his enthusiasm, but nonetheless happy to see the doctor enjoying himself. They didn't go inside the group of dancers, yet made their own space near them. Medic took her hip and hand in a fluid motion, twirling them around. Tracy was almost dizzy, but was laughing too much.

"Doc! C'mon, spin me too much and I'll get sick!" She leaned her forehead on his shoulder, giggling while trying to quiet herself.

"Then it is a good thing I am a doctor, ja?" He quipped before dipping her, nearly touching the floor. They began to strut across, the Medic must have had been taught very well at dancing. Tracy could barely keep up with him, too out of her element but unable to notice due to their conversation.

"I would have thought you to reject the Spy's idea. We were all aware you were going to be in a dress, although I think some may have forgotten." He nodded his head towards the Heavy, who was chatting up another hulking figure. Heavy never seemed to talkative before, although alcohol may have had something to do with it. "I apologize for the secrecy, but we had no idea what your reaction would have been. Especially myself, since I... well, I know." Medic winked.

"I woulda been fine with it. Thanks, by the way." Tracy playfully poked him in the side.

"Oof!" He flinched mockingly, "Ow, that hurt!"

"Oh, don't be a baby." Tracy patted the Medic on his shoulder as they twirled around once more. "Never thought you'd be a party person."

"Well, you never know what you expect with me, now don't you." Medic snickered, squeezing her hand gently.

"You're just about as mysterious as the Spy." She snorted, "How has the night been for you so far?"

"Splendid. Good drinks and good company. And beautiful women." He fluttered his eyelashes at her before laughing. Tracy's face once again became red with embarrassment.

"Oh really?" She tilted her head, squinting her eyes. "Do tell."

"Are you asking me to sing your praises?" Medic grinned slyly. "Oh, how I count the ways you brighten my day... One, you're-"

"Okay, I've heard enough!" Tracy slapped her hand over his mouth, laughing too hard. "Oh, my good doctor, you brighten my day as well. No need to flatter me anymore, I accept your undying infatuation."

"I am glad you accept." He gave a little bow, a small red tint on his cheeks. From drink or the quip from beforehand was yet to be revealed. "Now, perhaps you should dance with the others? I am feeling a little tired out."

"Alright grampa, I'll leave you to recuperate." Tracy chuckled, lightly shoving him back towards the Heavy. The German snorted, giving a wave as he walked back.

Perhaps the Soldier next? Probably best to get the most excitable mercs out of the way first. Not that Tracy didn't enjoy his company, though. She did enjoy the Soldier's company quite a bit, since he had calmed down so much. Making her way towards the wall, the Demoman and Soldier seemed to perk up.

"Hey, you pretty lil thing..." Demoman slurred out, clearly more drunk than usual. Tracy laughed, resting a hand on his shoulder.

"It's me, Demo. Thief." Tracy pointed to herself. The Demoman clearly didn't really understand what she just said, and sort of slumped against the wall again.

"Okay, lassie. Just... ask me to dance when ya feel like it." He grumbled sleepily.

"Is that you, soldier?" The Soldier asked, peering at her. He had left his helmet in their van, so he was without it. She liked that he had gone with her advice, since his eyes were quite pretty. A nice, bright blue that was brought out even further by his blue uniform. "Heard you were going to wear a dress. Didn't expect a man like you to agree."

"Nice to see you too, Soldier." Tracy rolled her eyes mockingly, "And you look great too."

Soldier perked up, laughing. "Thanks! I wasn't insulting you, just to clarify. I mean, er, you look good. The dress is... good." He swallowed, shifting from foot to foot.

"Why thank you." She curtsied. "Wanna dance?"

"Of course!" He took her smaller hand into his larger one, escorting her to the dance floor.

His dancing wasn't exactly as good as the rest of her team had been. His movements were stiff, probably from his Soldier persona being so constrictive. Still, it was rather fun.

"You need to loosen up, Soldier." She took both his hands, "Follow my moves and relax."

He cocked a brow, but eventually as they moved around in a circle he began to relax his shoulders and arms and wasn't moving as robotically as before. Soon he was busting out a few moves she didn't know he had in him, even if they weren't very appropriate for ball room dancing.

"Aw yeah Soldier! Let's dance!" Someone in the crowd shouted, the Scout. The party-goers made room as the Scout began to break-dance, twirling on his knees and elbows and striking a pose. Tracy laughed, but was impressed.

"So we are finally breaking this tirade of formality?" Medic chortled, Heavy at his side as they approached. "Great! Finally."

More and more people began to give up the classics and moved to the music, which had turned to a more upbeat tune. Spy was in a corner, rolling his eyes and shaking his head at the display. Tracy searched around, unsure how to dance without a partner.

"Ey lassy, a bit lost?" Demoman must have been awoken from his slumber by the music, "Watch this!"

He began a traditional Irish jig, clapping his hands and whooping in laughter. Tracy thought it was a bit unflattering to dance in such a way in a dress, but joined him as best she could. It was rather fun, the two linking arms and spinning this way and that.

Sniper had joined in, trading off with Demoman. "Havin' fun Sheila?"

Tracy rolled her eyes and laughed, "Seems like you finally got out of your shell."

"Hardly can't, since you and Soldier started this all." He gestured to the entire room, which had fully filled with dancers of all sorts. Salsa, cha-cha, tango, and even a few ballerinas in the back twirling on their toes. Sniper pulled her into a swing, stomping and tapping his feet while holding one hand. She followed his lead, twirling around and tapping her feet. She couldn't help but laugh as Sniper stomped his feet to the rhythm and clapped his hands. "Happy feet!" He chortled, just as arms came around Tracy.

She gasped, but was relieved to find the Pyro lifting her up and twirling her around. Tracy wrapped her arms around their neck, almost becoming dizzy as the masked person set her back on her feet. Pyro began to do the twist, moving their body from left to right while snapping their fingers. Tracy joined in, sometimes stomping her feet to the song and jumping up.

Pyro caught her before giving a muffled laugh, spinning her away. She bumped into a larger person, who chuckled under their breath.

"Leetle man is having good time?" Heavy asked. He seemed to have abandoned his drinks, but was still rosy cheeked and grinning.

"You bet. Havin' a good time yourself?" She took the Heavy's hand and began to twirl herself around, finally giving up her earlier shyness and stage fright.

"Yes! Is good times!" The Russian clapped his hands as he began to folk dance, not totally dissimilar to the Scottish jig she had seem from Demo earlier, yet it was closer to the ground and looked much more difficult to perform. He clapped and gaving a booming laugh as Tracy began to dance around him, almost trying to mimic the ballerinas from before.

Just as she spun a fifth time, she noticed a small figure in blue hiding in a corner. Tracy spun to a stop and began to march toward him, brushing and squeezing past other dancers.

The Engineer hadn't seemed to move from his spot, still hiding in his little corner. He did have a cup of water in his hands, but that was all the hint that he might have interacted or moved.

"Hey, Tex." She greeted with a small wave. "I like the dress."

The Engineer perked up, looking at her with surprise. He immediately became flustered, rubbing his helmet-less head. "Aw shucks, I'm mighty sorry I didn't tell ya. I thought you'd... laugh in my face or something..."

Even if Tracy had been mad, the look on the Texan's face would have melted that all away. Tracy immediately stepped forward, gently taking his chin to meet his eyes. "I am not mad. In fact, considering everything, I'm quite happy with how this all turned out. Your idea has made everyone so happy. You should be proud. I mean, not proud of keeping something away from me, but y'know... still."

Engineer blushed bright red, but gave a smile. "T-Thanks. I mean, still, sorry. But... thank you."

"Of course," She took the cup from the Texan's hands and set it on the ground, taking one of his hands. "Now c'mon! No sense of standing around when you could be dancing."

The Texan stuttered for words, unsure how to reply as she pulled him through the crowd near the rest of her team. Instead of waiting around, she took his other hand and began to spin with him, laughing. Engineer was surprised, but seemed to get into the mood and took her hand and hip. This wasn't any two-step, since he began to jump and move them around the room, twirling and hollering. Tracy was so, so happy to see the Texan open up, even just a little bit. They had come quite far from their first interaction.

Just as they were doing the Texan Two-Step, another arm linked in hers and she was pulled away from her partner. She was going to argue, when she recognized who it was. The RED Engineer.

"Sorry fella, gotta share now dont'cha?" He smiled, although Tracy could sense a tad bit of hostility. The BLU Engineer scowled, and looked about ready to start a tussle.

"Now now, it's alright. Tex, I'll join ya in a bit alright? Gotta dance with the guy who saved me." She winked. The BLU nodded, not without looking a little disappointed, and made his way towards the rest of his team. Turning back to the RED, Tracy cocked a brow. "Now, what was that all about?"

The RED lowered his head, perhaps in shame. "Right sorry about that. Just seein' ya with the BLU so happy... must admit, made me a tad jealous."

Jealous? He had been jealous? Her face went as bright red as his suit, which was startlingly the similar as her own Engineer's. They began to dance, quite similar to the old ball room dancing that had been going on earlier, yet he put his hand on her lower back. A pleasant shiver went down Tracy's spine.

"Well, don't feel jealous now. He's my team, gotta give them all my undivided attention. Which, I may add, is quite difficult." She clicked her tongue, hoping he didn't notice the blush on her cheeks. "But... I suppose I can give some of my attention to you as well."

"Well, thank ya kindly." He tilted his head, "Might I add, you look very lovely tonight. Seems your team and mine had the same idea."

"Oh, dressing in drag?" She asked, "Figures, there's an odd matching thing the teams have, now don't they?"

"I'd imagine so. We do tap from the same source, now don't we?" His expression became grim for a moment.

Tracy gently whacked him on the face. "Now, no talk about clones and other dark topics. It's a dance! Have some fun."

"Right, right. Sorry about that." Engineer chuckled, pulling her slightly closer. "Actually, I had something to tell ya."

"Oh, what might that be?" Tracy cocked a brow, but wasn't exactly uncomfortable with their situation.

There was a slight pause, their dance slowed to a stop, and for a moment it seemed like the world had slowed around them.

"I know."

It would have been foreboding, perhaps fear-inducing, if not for the kiss.

Just a second after revealing this secret, he gave her a whopper of a kiss. Tracy froze in place, shock on her face, unable to move. Then, the world went back into motion. She caught her breath as the kiss ended, her whole face feeling as if it had caught on fire.

"Hope ya don't mind, but I gotta get back to my team. They see me with you, and they might just throw a fit." The RED chuckled, almost as if the kiss had never even happened. Tracy nodded dumbly, unable to vocalize words at the moment. The Engineer gently let go, giving one last sweet smile as he left.

How did he know? What the hell was that kiss all about? Tracy stumbled towards a wall and leaned all her weight onto it.

Him knowing? How? Perhaps... perhaps the RED Thief told him? She had saw them talking earlier, but why now? Perhaps he knew due to the clones. He would have to know due to that, right? It made sense, but it still worried her. If he knew, what's to say the whole RED team knew?

No, Engie wasn't like that. He wouldn't tell anyone. And Thief? Why would she tell anyone? It was her secret as much as her own. The most likely answer was the clones. If the Engineer had to work on the Respawn, he had to know about what he was working on. Hence, the clones.

That also meant the RED Medic knew, or most likely knew. Since RED Thief was her clone, perhaps the Medic didn't even need to implant the heart. Still, the idea did not comfort her much.

But... if the RED Engineer knew... then what was to say that her own Engineer did?

And that kiss. What was that all about? Did he like her? Was it just to throw her off? She had no idea.

She did like her team. She liked all of her team. And she did like the RED Engineer. But... like-like? God, it sounded so childish. She really didn't have time to consider romantic partners when she was a mercenary, god dammit.

Shaking her head, the Thief decided she had done her part and was entirely done with the dancing. Thankfully, it was just about time for it to end.

"Hey, Tracy!" Someone shouted. Tracy turned and was relieved to find Miss Pauling waving to her across the room. Most of the dancing and shouting had calmed, since most had tired out due to how late it had gotten. Tracy walked over, smiling as well as she could after receiving such information.

"Hey Pauling. What's up?" She asked.

"Not much, but I received this. Someone during the dance slipped it to me while you were dancing, asking me to forward it to you." The violet woman handed over the slip of paper. "They also mentioned not to look at it until you make it into your car."

"Uh... thanks?" She folded up the paper, "How much longer is this dance anyways?"

"Just about to end. They'll have one more announcement and ask everyone to leave and have a good night. How was the dance? By the way, nice dress."

"Oh, good. I had a great time, actually. Better than expected." Tracy bowed, "Why thank you. I might have already mentioned it, but you look great too."

"Heh, thanks." Miss Pauling shuffled slightly, looking to the floor before meeting Tracy's eyes again. "Hey, how about one more dance?"

Tracy shrugged, "Why not?"

So they danced one last time. It was slightly awkward, and was funny to see, since they both took the lead. Still, they twirled and laughed, happy just to dance together. Just as they twirled one last time, a booming sound entered the room.

"Hello ladies and gentlemen! Have you been having a good night?!" Saxton Hale asked, demanding attention. "No need to answer, I know you have!"

Everyone whooped and hollered anyways, either too drunk or too happy to consider the consequences of interrupting Saxton Hale. Still, he seemed pleased with the response.

"Good! Unfortunately, this night has to end sometime, and now is the time. Please vacate the premises in twenty minutes, or I will have to release my pet eagle onto you. Have a good night and please, take as much food and drinks as you wish!"

Most if not all of the crowd funneled out of the dance room. Tracy grouped up with her team once more as they made their way out into the hall. A few people were grabbing a last few bites to eat or a drink before making their way out.

"Anyone got anything to put food in?" Tracy asked as she grabbed a couple bottles of really expensive looking champagne. Scout decided to raid the kitchen and grab a tupperware container, and began to fill it with all the food it could handle, especially the sweets.

Finally ready to go home, Tracy just remember the note from before and pulled it back out, unfolding it. Sitting down in her seat, she was surprised at what she read.

_"Greed is only human nature, now isn't it?_

_Love, Victor."_

Tracy whipped around, searching out the window when she spotted someone in the distance. Cream, blond colored hair, cerulean blue eyes... A wicked smile.

Victor.


	20. Chapter 20

A month had passed since the dance. The weeks of sleet and snow were far behind them as the train bumped beneath her team. They were being sent somewhere called Harvest, which was thankfully far warmer than that desolate chilly mountain.

Tracy sat in her train car, lazily peering out the window at the scenery flashing past. Her suitcase was above her, packed with everything she could find in the short amount of time they were given. Scout was in the seat in front of her, lying on his back with a baseball magazine obscuring his face. He snored, but rather than annoying it was almost cute.

The train was rickety and old, from the dust covering the floor to the worn leather seats. Tracy sighed, leaning back into the squeaky fabric.

Not much had happened after the dance, despite her worries. She had neglected to tell her team about the note, or the possibility of a man from her past stalking her. That was the only conclusion she could come up with. Victor was stalking her due to selling out her friends. Their old friends.

She couldn't blame him either. Had she been the one to find out Victor had sold out Julie, James, and Zach, she would have been furious as well. But she didn't believe that all he wanted was to talk. His smile... it still sent shivers up her spine.

Victor had been more than just a friend. It wasn't exactly romance, but there had definitely been something budding between the two before everything came crashing down. He was definitely a specimen, pretty as a peach. Not someone you'd imagine as a criminal. Pale, almost creamy platinum blond hair and the brightest blue eyes you'd ever see. He was almost angelic in appearance. Yet now that she was here, with real friends, she recalled his actions to be... questionable at best.

He'd always agree to any plan she'd schemed up, never objecting to the possible morals. She may had been bad, but he knew far too well what they were doing. And he seemed to relish the crimes far more than she ever did. Victor would always laugh when they got away, chattering feverishly about how mad the people would be when they found out their possessions were taken right under their noses.

Tracy sighed and shook her head, the memories fading. She didn't want to think of Victor. But the fear that he could pop up at any second put her on edge. She didn't know if his intentions were violent, and that scared her.

Footsteps shook her from her daze, startling her as she whipped her head around to see who it was. Sniper cocked a brow, a small grin on his face.

"Spooked ya?"

Tracy snorted, waving a hand. "You wish. I was just daydreaming."

"Well, better be bright eyed and bushy tailed. We're nearing Harvest in about five minutes." He stepped closer, kicking Scout. The boy jumped, his magazine flying to the floor.

"Whu? No, I don't wanna go to school ma..." The Bostion grumbled, glassy eyes closing once more as he snuggled back into the seat.

The Australian chuckled, a tad annoyed but far too amused to be completely angry. "Mind wakin' him up soon? Don't wanna drag him out."

"Why am I his babysitter?" Thief snorted.

"Cus he won't be mad at you." Sniper pointed, rolling his eyes. "'Sides, I had to leave my van behind to get repairs. All my shit is still in my van, and I don't wanna hafta deal with the lil shiet."

"Fair enough." She shrugged, picking the magazine from the floor and tucking it into Scout's luggage. "But don't expect the same treatment twice."

"Fine, fine. See ya when we get there." Sniper waved his hand as he strolled down the row of seats, disappearing through a door.

Tracy stretched, turning her gaze up to her luggage. The constant moving wasn't exactly ideal, but she was happy to be out of the cold. She was certain the others would be too, although the Heavy was probably impervious to the extreme cold.

It felt like only a few seconds when they finally arrived into town. It was midday, with leaves falling from the trees. Tracy had no idea what state they were in, her sense of direction completely broke since she had been taken from home.

Turning to the Scout, she dragged him from slumber and grabbed her luggage, bumping shoulders with the other passengers as she made her way off. She was almost lost when she caught sight of her team, Spy taking role call as if he were leading a pack of kindergartners.

Spy turned to her, nodding. "It seems we are all present. Our destination is five mile out of town. Unfortunately, since the Sniper's transportation..." He coughed, mumbling something about a piss wagon, "... has been left behind for repairs, a bus will be picking us up in an hour. Try not to get lost."

The team looked amongst themselves, then to the town. It was small, but sizable enough to have a bar and a line of stores. Tracy still had a sizable chunk of change from the gambling incident, so her first idea was some clothes and food. All the items she had been given had, well... lets say been worn out to the point of rags. War did that to your wardrobe. Sneaking away from the group, she went into a women's clothing store.

She instantly remembered she was dressed to look like a man, so talking to the sales representative was awkward. Tracy decided to just say she was buying something for her girlfriend and gave the rep her size. She chose whatever fit and wasn't too revealing, mostly colors in blue or purple. There was a red hoodie she had her eye on, but she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to risk it.

The rep followed her eye, smiling. "She like red?"

"Red? Er, uh... right, the color. I mean, I guess." Tracy stuttered, shook from her thoughts.

"Since you're buying so much, we can give you a discount. I hope the lucky lady appreciates everything you bought her!" The Saleswoman sang as she took the hoodie off the rack and packaged it with the rest of the clothing. Regardless of the fact the woman was pushy as hell, she did appreciate the discount and despite the color, she did really like the hoodie.

"I'm sure she will, thanks so much." Tracy smiled, taking her bags and speed walking out of the store before she could be wrangled into buying something stupid like scarves and frilly panties.

Her team was nowhere in sight, but she had a pretty good idea where everyone was. The bar, of course. To get a nice drink would be the first thing on the minds of men who had to sit on a train for two hours with no service. With some effort, Tracy forced her new clothes into her suitcase before entering the establishment.

It was a homely little place, wood floors and walls with a small fireplace. The seats around the bartender were near full, with each merc taking their respective seats. Tracy jumped into the last remaining one, just beside the Pyro. What Pyro would do in a bar, Tracy had no idea. The fireplace wasn't even lit.

Her team greeted her with shouting and slaps on the back, a few already slightly buzzed off liquor. Tracy ordered a random drink from the bottles stacked behind the bartender, lazily sipping without really paying attention to the flavor.

"Mon dieu, if any of you start a brawl, I will replace all the alcohol at the base with oil." Spy grumbled, sipping from a shot of scotch, staring grumpily at a light fixture on the ceiling.

"Lad, you best you don't." Demoman grumbled, taking personal offense to the threat.

"Last time you idiots started a fight, I had to pay for the damages you did to the bar while the Medic dragged you back to base. So do NOT start anything." Spy growled, giving the Scotsman the stink eye, lighting a cigarette. Demoman scoffed, turning his head back to the Soldier who was boasting about his time during the war to the others. Medic and Heavy weren't impressed, rather mumbling a reply while ignoring him.

Tracy turned to the Sniper, who was staring into his glass, swirling its contents around with a grimace on his face. He noticed her looking and perked up.

"Like the drinks?" He asked, taking a sip from his glass.

Tracy shrugged, "Not bad. Yours?"

"A little harsh. I don't drink alcohol too often, makes me unsteady." The Australian set the glass down, stretching his back and popping his shoulders. "Can't get a good shot if I'm swaying side to side."

"I see what you mean." She chuckled, turning and bumping the Spy's shoulder. "Hey, how soon is that bus arriving?"

Spy pulled back his sleeve, checking his watch. "They should be arriving within the minute. Gentlemen, let us take our leave."

The group got up, paying for their drinks and making their way outside. It was near evening by now, the sun beginning to set. The bus arrived near the train station, honking the horn for their attention. They walked aboard, taking their seats.

They arrived within fifteen minutes, which made Tracy wonder why they hadn't just walked. But considering the fact Spy probably didn't want his fancy shoes to get dirt on them, she didn't question it further. The place was small, with either base being surprisingly close to one another. It was a farm, with wheat fields and a pumpkin patch behind the fence surrounding the battle ground. A single control point was in the middle, which meant this was a king of the hill kind of battle.

The barns had recently been refurbished for living in, with everything a group of ten people would possibly need. There was even a balcony, which Tracy was certain that Sniper would appreciate. The air was fresh and cool, the falling leaves crisp underfoot.

As soon as they stepped through the door, and before Soldier could say anything, Tracy laid a hand on his shoulder. "Let the team figure out who they want to bunk with, alright?" She chuckled, patting his shoulder before walking upstairs. Soldier straightened, surprised, before his face became thoughtful.

There were five rooms each, three on the second floor and two at the ground floor. Tracy invited the Pyro up, considering they had been a good roommate.

"Want to bunk together again?" She asked, and the Pyro giggled with glee, running to a room to procure it for their own.

The sun began to set, quickly turning the sky down to a warm purple. Her team was huddled around the fireplace, eating and drinking and generally having a good time. Tracy sat beside the Heavy, who was crooning a Russian song while the Medic swung to the beat. True, Tracy couldn't understand a lick of it and the Russian's voice wasn't exactly melodical, but it was still fun to listen to.

Pyro was poking at the fireplace, seeming to consider if they should stick their hand in the fire. Demo and Soldier were playing cards by themselves, while the Sniper was on the balcony with Spy, smoking a few cigarettes. Scout was probably taking a jog, since there was a long stretch of road nearby, and the Engineer was in the workshop off to the right of the base.

Just as Tracy was going to lean back and relax, the door opened from the kitchen. The Engineer entered, catching her eye and clearing his throat for everyone's attention.

"Thief, you got a visitor." He called out softly. Tracy immediately stood up, her muscles tensing. She already knew who it was.

She stepped to the door slowly as the man walked through.

Just as she thought.

Victor.

"Nice to see you again, Trace."


	21. Evening Enforcement

Victor was just as she remembered him, platinum blonde hair that hung just past his ears, and bright blue eyes that saw through her. His facial features were delicate, he was pretty as a peach and all the girls back at home had fawned over him. He didn't look any different from the last she saw of him, ripping out of the grasp of a police officer before running into the night. Tracy felt her throat go dry as she stared at him, unsure what to say.

"It's been awhile." His voice was warm, but not friendly. She couldn't tell what his intentions were. "I hope you got my note?"

She blinked and nodded, working up the nerve to speak. "Y-yeah... what are you doing here?"

"What, I can't drop in on an old friend?" He smiled, "I saw you at the party and thought I should keep an eye on you. After all, it has been such a long time."

Tracy glanced at her team, not wanting this conversation to continue in front of them. "Why don't we catch up outside?"

They walked outside and into the dim light of the evening, the sun having seeped below the horizon. She took baby steps after him, unsure how to continue the conversation. It had been so long since she had spoken to him, and that look on his face made her stomach curl up with anxiety. Something was definitely wrong here...

Breathing in the night air, she remembered that night. It was Christmas, winter all around them as they made their way to the mall. Snow peppered down from the sky when they decided to raid that mall. They thought they were sneaky, splitting up into pairs as they slipped items into their pockets. Just when they were walking back to their truck, two police cars screeched to a halt and ordered them to the ground. Tracy had complied, but the others. Victor had ran off into the darkness, not looking back.

They were a couple yards away from the door, Victor stopping in front of a large oak tree that was completely devoid of leaves. The branches looked like the hands of the dead reaching out to the moon peeking through the clouds. Taking a deep breath, she leaned against the tree, unsure how to hold her body in front of him. S-So... umm... yeah."

"No need to be so nervous, Trace. We're just talking..." He let the sentence hang as he reached into his pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He took out two, reaching out his hand to offer her one.

With a bit of hesitation, she took it. She had smoked a cigarette once or twice back in high school, but she didn't want to get addicted. But right now she just didn't want to upset Victor. She put it between her lips and allowed him to light it for her, despite being scared he might light her hair on fire. She coughed immediately after her first inhale, instantly regretting it. A familiar taste soaked into her tongue, smoky but sharp, bitter but in a pleasant way. It was smooth, not like the overpowering oder Spy always emitted.

Victor laughed, "Man, it's been awhile hasn't it? Don't throw up like that one time." It had been her first time hitting a blunt, and she had coughed so hard she threw up on his couch. He never let it go.

Her mouthed dried as she took another inhale, and coughed again but not quite as hard. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Oh, I was on the run for awhile, as you know. While I was out there, I was jumping from house to house. Some friends I knew from school, not the ones you're thinking of obviously." He rolled his eyes, smoke trailing off his words. "But eventually I had to skip town. Made my way up to Colorado, and spent some time going from condo to condo. You'd be surprised how many are empty during the summer and fall seasons. I ended up stumbling into a very important man. A short fight later, and he offered me a job. You might of heard of him, he's one of the Mann brothers."

Tracy wanted to ask which one, but he spoke up. "I saw you at that party, but I was at work and didn't have the time to catch up. I must say, I didn't expect you all the way out here."

"Heh, I-It's like 'whos following who?'" She chuckled nervously.

"Quite."

She coughed. "I'm not saying it's not nice to see you again, but what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"I didn't follow the case against the crew... what happened with them?" He asked, puffing on his cigarette without meeting her eyes.

Sighing, "Twins got parole, Zach got a couple years for hitting that cop."

"And what about you?"

She paused, her eyes flicking towards the door inside. It was slightly ajar and she could see someone standing near the door, but she could not see their face as they were but a silhouette. "I..."

"Save it." He suddenly stood up, crushing his cigarette against the tree. His fingers were long and thin, perfect for slipping into pockets. His blue eyes practically glowed in the dark. "I heard from a little birdie you got off scot free. Took a deal huh? What happened to 'the team' Trace?" He spat out her nickname as if it were poisonous.

Standing up and backing away, Tracy kept her eyes trained on him. When Victor was happy, he was a great friend to have around. He was the life of the party, and practically the only reason she had friends in the first place. When he was angry, he looked at you with those soulless blue eyes as if you didn't matter. As if he had no problem killing you and wouldn't feel sad afterward. Her heart started to pound, and she realized she was reaching for her pistol that wasn't there.

"You'd be a pretty good spy, but why didn't they just call you the Traitor?" He snarked, taking a step towards her. Tracy's hand went from her where her pistol holster usually was to her belt, where she always kept her trusty screwdriver. "Ooooh, big MAN now huh?"

"The fuck do you know?" She tried to sound tough, but the syllables were stuttered out as her teeth chattered. Her hand shook as she held the handle of her screwdriver. She didn't know what to do. This was Victor. She didn't want to hurt him.

"My benefactor is one of the Manns, remember?" He gestured with his hand, as if she were an idiot. "Have you been listening at all?" Despite how irritated he sounded, he had never once raised his voice. That was what really scared her. He never got loud when he got mad. She suddenly remembered the time when he threatened the life of another classmate who had tripped her on her way out from class. It had genuinely been an accident, but he either not known or didn't care as he described how he would snuff out his life and make sure his corpse was never found.

"Man Trace, I really thought you were better than that. I didn't believe them at first, but when I saw you walking free, that's when I knew." Victor began, muttering at her as he took another measured step forward. He wasn't a particularly large man, but something about him was just not right. In the way that, not knowing what he was thinking, he was unpredictable. "Remember that dumb little name we gave ourselves? Order of Thieves?"

It was a dumb little game given after they played a war game called Middle Earth. The name didn't make sense for the game itself, but they made believe they were a pack of thieves stealing from passing armies, decimating them in the process. When they started their robbery in real life, the name rung true. Now she cringed at the title, the audio equivalent of viewing a photo of yourself.

"I guess you were the only one to remember that there is no honor among thieves."

The air stilled for a moment, and for a single second that took forever, they just looked at each other. She didn't know what was going to happen, but whatever it was, Tracy knew it might be a awhile before she saw him again.

The second passed, and Victor sprung to life, pulling a revolver out and pulled away the hammer. For a split second, she recognized the name of it. It was his old Enforcer, which he had stolen from his father. It was called a "Mann Stopper" for a reason.

Leaping out, she slapped it from his hands and with her off-hand pulled her screwdriver out. Using her shoulder, she pushed him away from the gun and to the ground. Tracy fell with him, their feet having been caught up in the scramble. They wrestled back to their feet, his left hand gripping her right, which was holding the screwdriver. From behind them, she heard the door open. She had time to look as the person pulled them apart.

It was the Spy, who had become involved in hand to hand combat. Tracy saw as Victor's hands easily slipped inside the Spy's inner jacket pocket and pull something out, but she couldn't see in the darkness. From his other hand, she could see him pulling out a blade, glinting in the moonlight.

Without hesitation, Tracy raced forward and collided with Victor, tumbling deeper into the forest as they fell down a small hill. She got to her feet as soon as Victor struck out with his blade. She fell back just in time, the blade nearly kissing the skin of her neck. As he brought his arm up again, time slowed for the Thief. It could have been the nicotine high, but she felt herself dancing around him as he struggled to attack her. He might have been on the run, but not literally. She had been training for the battlefield and in the short time, she had become much more acclimated to combat.

That and, she had been trained by Soldier, and Victor had not.

In that last moment, everything became a blur as the adrenaline hit her, time coming quicker. By instinct, her fist collided with his body, sending him to the ground. She jumped on him, her fist meeting his jaw with a sickening crack. Tracy couldn't feel it, she couldn't tell if it was his bones breaking or her own. All she knew was she needed him gone. She wanted to stop but her body wouldn't listen to her. It was like she was a third person, watching someone else pilot her body.

She hit him, again and again, just now realizing she had the screwdriver in her hands. Just realizing that after having planted the sharp end in his chest. She shook violently, at once noticing the coat of blood all over her hands. Noticing how pale Victor was, how dead his eyes were...

"I think he's dead partner."

She flipped around, ripping the screwdriver from the corpse, ready to defend herself when she realized it was her Engineer. Behind him, the Spy fast approached. The door to the base was wide open, as the Heavy and Soldier turned on flashlights.

Looking at her blood soaked hands, she nearly giggled. She'd been caught red-handed. Tracy dropped her tool and took a step out of the brush, raising them awkwardly.

"C'mon now, let's go get you cleaned up. Spy, I'm sure you know how to handle this?" The Texan pointed a thumb into the spot she just left.

"Oui." and without another moment, he stepped into the dark to examine the body. Shaking, Tracy let the BLU guide her inside and into the bathroom. After he got the water hot, he gave her a nod and left her alone.

Looking into the mirror, she guessed why. She was covered in blood and flesh, from her face, hair and chest. Instantly, she lurched forward and released her dinner into the sink, not caring if the drain couldn't handle the amount. God, she had killed someone. Really killed someone. Victor didn't have a heart like her's, didn't have a respawn he could pop out, good as new. She had really ended someone's life for good. She retched, spewing out bile until she dry heaved.

"God, I can't believe I killed someone..." She gasped, a sob escaping her lips.

"I don't believe so." A knock at the door and the door opened, an unpleased Spy greeting her. "I think your friend might have taken something of mine."

He lifted his jacket, displaying his empty inner pocket. Tracy knew at once what that meant...

The Spy's Dead Ringer was gone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG FOR ME TO UPDATE I HOPE YOU LIKE THIS
> 
> also yes sorry for the fake out at the end there, I wanna do something different from the original fic, so i hope you were surprised ;P
> 
> also remember: more reviews = more likely to update
> 
> yes i am an attention whore


	22. Multiplicity

The Spy had helped Tracy clean the giblets of blood, bone, and flesh out of her hair and left her to wash the blood out of her hands as he went to go find her a new shirt to wear. Sometimes she could swear he was a mother hen sometimes, but she appreciated it right now. Her throat was dry and sour, she had to brush her teeth two times just to get the flavor out of her mouth. Her head spun, the vision of Victor's desecrated body still in her mind's eye. Despite him being alive, she couldn't help but feel horrified by what could have been. Just as she stood from her seat on the toliet, the Spy came through the door and offered her a clean shirt.

"Thanks... Sorry about what happened out there." She sighed, taking the shirt. The Spy left the room as she changed her shirt, and she quickly joined him outside. "Mind if I get a smoke?"

The Spy gave her a strange look, but said nothing as he took out his case and handed her one. She thanked him and the two of them walked into the living area, where the rest of the team sat waiting.

"So, what the hell was all that?" Scout called out, a look of shock on his face.

The Heavy dropped his large hand on Scout's face, smothering his words. "Is little man okay?"

"I'm alright, just a lil shaken up." Tracy smiled nervously, walking over to the Pyro. She gestured with the cigarette in her hand, Pyro didn't need to be told anything else, they quickly lit it with their lighter, happy for any excuse to ignite something. "That was Victor, an old classmate of mine..."

"What the hell did ya do to em to make him want to kill ya?" The Sniper asked, not turning from the window he was stationed at. He was using a pair of binoculars to scan the area, just in case there was anyone else out there.

She took a deep inhale of her cigarette, sighing out a cloud of smoke. "Let's just say we got in trouble awhile back... and I didn't do the right thing. Apparently he works for one of the Manns."

"RED or BLU?" Scout pushed Heavy's hand aside, scowling at the larger man.

"I have no idea, but I'm sure we'll find out later." Rubbing her temple, she sat down at a chair and put her feet up on the table. The Spy had left the living room for a moment and came back, looking displeased. Tracy assumed she had dealt with the fake body. She had no idea how the dead ringer did that, but it gave a convincing show.

"I dealt with THAT, I suppose we're going to someone to monitor the cameras for the foreseeable future, at least until we leave this location." He grabbed a napkin from the living room table, wiping his hands clean. "As for his affiliation with the Manns... I will have to ask around."

"Maybe we should ask Pauling?" Tracy questioned, flicking the excess ash off her cigarette before taking another hit.

Spy snorted, "I doubt that she would be in any position to reveal what she knows, if she did. Her role in TF Industries is far more important than our employment, and I very much doubt she'd be willing to risk it for our questions."

Tracy nodded in understanding. She had no idea how much Miss Pauling was being paid, but it had to be enormous compared to what she witnessed when she accidentally viewed the checks of her teammates. She was almost a little jealous, but it wouldn't really make sense to be paid while also being indebted to the person paying you, even if she was risking her life. Leaning back in the sofa, she stuck her cigarette between her lips and rubbed her wrist and arms, still sore from the tussle earlier. She was definitely going to have bruises later.

For awhile, she just let the heat of the roaring fireplace soak through her skin and into her bones, stretching out to let everything in her body relax. The crackling sound from the fire allowed her to ease her nerves, she'd been on high alert since that fight, she still felt like something could happen at any moment to disturb her peace. Puffing her cigarette, she turned to look at her team. Scout was looking through a sports magazine, which cleverly hid the real cover of the girly mag he was really reading. He threw a baseball with his left hand, surprising her with his ability to multitask. The Spy was sitting in an arm chair next to the Engineer, who was tightening some bolts on his Gunslinger, sending nervous glances her way now and then. Pyro sat directly in front of the fire, head in their hands as they stared deeply into the flames. Heavy sat next to the Scout on the sofa, slowly turning the barrel of Sasha while he stared at the door. Soldier and Demo stood near the door in the corner, whispering to each other while cleaning their respective melee weapons. Sniper was still at the window, eyes straining against the darkness, trying to find any sort of movement in the leaves.

"Hmm, how about we try to distract ourselves?" The Medic offered, walking past the couch and table to the massive television to change the channel. It was a rickety old thing, but it managed to work somehow. He fiddled with the knobs, turning the volume up as he settled on a channel that wasn't full of static. "Ah, here we are!"

The screen flickered to life and the screen displayed a news broadcast. The edges of the film warped and quivered, and the audio was distorted, but it was just intelligible enough to understand. Tracy leaned back in her seat as the Medic came to stand beside her.

"In other news today, three local heroes saved the children of Teufort at the local mall from Santa." Tracy raised her eyebrows, just now realizing how close it was to Christmas. Had she really been with these guys that long? Hell, she couldn't even remember how long it had been. Shaking her head, she turned her attention back to the screen. "Santa, calling himself Old Nick, invaded the shopping mall of Teufort to kidnap children to use as child labor. Three men calling themselves Soldier, Scout, and Spy managed to stop the mad Christmas tyrant before he could take any child. The two known as Soldier and Scout were originally charged with reckless endangerment and second degree manslaughter but those charges have been dropped due to their heroic efforts."

Tracy's face scrunched up in confusion, inhaling the last of her smoke before crushing it against the bottom of her shoe. That didn't make any sense, she didn't exactly know how long she had been with these men, but she could recognize the color blue on a black and white television. There was no way her Soldier and Scout could be all the way down at Teufort. She turned to the Soldier and Scout, but neither of them looked up or seemed interested in what the television was saying. Turning to the Medic, she asked, "How in the hell are those two down in Teufort?! That doesn't make any sense."

"Nobody told you?" Medic looked over at her inquisitively, "We're not the only BLU team."

Her stomach twisted, "What."

"Oui, the Manns have property all over the world. One set wouldn't be nearly enough to cover all of the locations." Spy spoke up, stepping into the conversation. "I'm surprised you thought otherwise. When we are transferred to a new location, the old location isn't just simply deserted."

Tracy's lower left eyelid twitched, her teeth grinding. "Alright, that's it. Spy, you got a phone on ya? Or is there a phone in here?"

The Spy and Medic shared a look, but pointed her in the direction of the kitchen. It was a small room with baby blue floor tiles and cornflower blue wallpaper, the fridge and oven were in surprisingly good condition, she could smell dinner that Pyro had been making before being interrupted by the whole situation earlier. Grabbing the phone next to the fridge, she pressed a single button near the handle. It was meant for contacting Miss Pauling directly during an emergency, but Tracy really didn't care. Tapping her foot impatiently, she didn't even wait for a greeting and started asking questions.

"When the fuck were you going to tell me that I had more than one clone running around? Didn't you think that was necessary information?!" Tracy practically shouted into the receiver.

There was a short pause before Pauling replied, "I'm sorry Richardson, it's been awhile since we've had any new employees that I guess I... just got used to it all. It was normal for me."

"How many? How fucking many are there?" Tracy growled.

"At least twenty-five locations, but even I don't have an exact number. The Manns have so much property, and the Administrator doesn't tell me everything." Pauling spoke calmly.

Tracy nearly dropped the phone. Twenty-five different versions of herself, maybe even more... Just one clone of herself was too much, and knowing that Tracy herself wasn't the true Tracy made her knees weak and her stomach turn every time she thought of it. Her hands trembled, her heart pounding. How could they do this?

"I really shouldn't tell you this, but not every team is as... equal as yours. The Administrator has a few... experiments going on. Some teams have extra members, some of them don't have all nine- I mean, ten. That's why I don't have an exact number." The voice was meerly and echo as Tracy let that information wash over her. "Some have extra medics, some have extra soldiers, some are missing a spy... There was... one team that had two Thiefs."

She wanted to retch. Was that why RED Thief had said those things? About not being her? Tracy herself felt a cold blanket wrap itself around her, sending chills down her spine. How many of them felt that same pain?

"I really shouldn't have asked, huh?" Tracy muttered into the reciever.

Pauling sighed at the other end. "I'm sorry Tracy... was there anything else you wanted to know? I'm kind of busy sanding the fingerprints off of corpses and it's pretty difficult with only one hand."

Rolling her eyes, the Thief glanced towards the living area. The Spy and Medic were talking to each other quiet, glancing towards the kitchen every now and then to check on her. It looked like most of the team had left for their rooms, except the Sniper and Pyro, who were still at their previous positions. Turning away from the door, she grabbed a glass of water before speaking again.

"I was attacked by a man earlier tonight, an old classmate of mine. I think he tried to kill me, but I'm alright. His name is Victor Lumen, an old... colleague of mine." She paused to take a drink of water before setting the glass onto the kitchen counter. "There was a fight, he grabbed Spy's Dead Ringer and managed to get away."

For a second there was no noise on the other end, then some rumbled and sound of papers being moved until Pauling responded again, "Victor Lumen... I don't have his name in any of my files."

"He said he was working for one of the Manns. If you don't have any information about him, then he must be lying right?"

"Anything is possible. Like I said, the Administrator doesn't tell me everything... hell, I'm pretty sure she keeps more secrets that she shares with me. I can try asking her, but she's not exactly an open book..."

"Thanks, Pauling. I think I'm just gonna... go get extremely drunk now." Tracy replied, pinching the bridge of her nose to try and relieve some of the stress. "You have a good night."

"You too, Richardson... you too."

She hung up the phone, taking a deep breath before rummaging through the kitchen cabinets. She quickly found what she was looking for, a large bottle of whiskey just begging to be opened. Grabbing the bottle, she waved at Spy and Medic before walking to her room.

A couple shots, and Tracy was already fading away, her thoughts on blood... and death...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading so far, please leave a review! Reviews keep me motivated ;)

**Author's Note:**

> By the way, I'm posting this here to see if there is any interest in me continueing this, its been a long time since I've touched it so I'm just testing the waters


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